The division appears to be Philadelphia’s to lose, with the Big Apple somewhere in the rearview mirror.
Which squad is favored to win the NL East this season? Here are the odds at DraftKings Sportsbook as of Aug. 13, as well as what to know about the division.
NL West winner
Phillies: -650 (bet $10 to win $11.54 total)
Mets: +425 (bet $10 to win $52.50 total)
What to know: Philadelphia (69-50) won the division last season, putting an end to Atlanta’s streak of six straight division titles, and as of Aug. 13, it has a five-game lead on the Mets. Here is the thing to know about the NL East in recent years, however: Its winner has lost its first playoff series in seven of the last nine seasons. The only exceptions came in 2020, when the Braves made it to the NLCS, and in 2021, when Atlanta won the World Series. Over the last three seasons, the winner of this division is 3-9 in 12 postseason games, including Philly’s 3-1 loss (to the Mets, go figure) in the NLDS last year.
Still, the winner of this division has had postseason success since the 1990s. The Mets made it to the World Series in 2015 (lost), the Phillies in 2008 (won) and 2009 (lost), the Braves in 1995 (won), 1996 (lost) and 1999 (lost), and the Phillies in 1993 (won).
This season, Kyle Schwarber (42 home runs) and Trea Turner (136 hits) are powering Philadelphia at the plate, while Zack Wheeler is in Cy Young contention with an MLB-best 189 strikeouts as of Aug. 13.
Remaining matchups: The Phillies and Mets have one four-game series remaining, Sept. 8-11, in Philadelphia.
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