Baltimore Orioles, Milwaukee Bruins The Hot Teams With The Hot Payout Odds

Coming into the 2008 season, the Baltimore Orioles stood to pay out $11,000 for every $100 bet if they were to win the 2008 World Series; the Milwaukee Brewers were listed with +2000 odds, for a payout of $2000 for every $100 bet (Yes, they were expected to be good at least).

With both these teams the hottest in Major League Baseball while the season is still young, one would think the oddsmakers would have caught on.  They haven't. 

The Baltimore Orioles were still listed with 100 to 1 odds, for a payout potential now of $10,000 for every $100 bet if they were to win the 2008 World Series.   Milwaukee would still pay out $1600 for every $100 bet.

Alas, the Detroit Tigers are starting to lose their value - falling from a single digit favorite to odds of 12-1 (paying $1200 for every $100 bet if they were to win the World Series).

The Boston Red Sox, despite a slow start, had odds of 3-1 (a payout potential of $300 for every $100 bet).

Surprise, surprise: The Baltimore Orioles own the best record in the American League and the Seattle Mariners are in last place.

Sure, the season is only in its second week. Yet the rebuilding Orioles already have plenty to celebrate, most notably their first four-game sweep of Seattle since 1999 and their best start in 10 years.

Aubrey Huff homered to break an eighth-inning tie, Baltimore beat Seattle 5-4 Monday to remain atop the AL East at 5-1.

"As a team, as a whole, we're playing great baseball right now," Huff said. "I know it's early, but we just swept a pretty good team over there. So obviously we're feeling pretty good, and we just want to keep up the momentum."

As for Milwaukee: Ben Sheets allowed five hits and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the San Francisco Giants 7-0 Sunday to finish off a sweep of the weekend series.

"I thought it was going to be easy," Sheets said. "I thought I'd get 15, 20, 100 of these. Seven years later, I finally finish up another."

Ben Sheets means business. The Brewers ace has not allowed a run in two starts this season. Sheet's 15-plus innings scoreless streak to start the year ranks fifth among all starters since 2003.

---

Dan Shapiro, Gambling911.com

Originally published April 7, 2008 10:52 pm EST