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We’re inching closer and closer to the All-Star Game, which many consider to be the official halfway point of the season. As usual, we’ll dive into our latest Power Rankings to see how they align with their odds to win the World Series on DraftKings Sportsbook.

New York Yankees
Power Ranking: 1st (last week 1st)
World Series odds: +400

Nothing has really changed with the top five teams in our rankings. The Yankees, as they should, remain in the top spot, even after splitting the series with the Red Sox. Sunday was one of the worst losses of the season for the Yankees, who allowed a season-high 11 runs. Not only that, the Yankees quickly had a 6-3 lead after the third inning but allowed nine unanswered runs to fall by a score of 11-6. Enduring a loss like that is tough but luckily for them, they’ll start a home series against the 32-54 Reds on Tuesday. The road has not been kind to the Reds, who are just 14-26. The Red Sox will come in before we close shop for Los Angeles and the All-Star break.

Despite a 5-5 record over the last 10 games, the Yankees are still the top team in the Majors with a .709 winning percentage and a ridiculous +177 run differential. Only three teams have a run differential over 100 and it’s the team with the best odds to win the World Series. The Dodgers and Astros are at +151 and +102 respectively. Rumors are also swirling that the Yankees are pushing hard for Royals outfielder Andrew Benintendi, as the corner outfield spot is one of the few needs the Yankees could acquire. Grabbing Benintendi, ideally to replace Joey Gallo, would bring another high-contact bat into this lineup while also cutting down immensely on strikeouts. Benintendi has just a 14% K% on the year through 83 games while Gallo is at 38.3%

With the odds mainly staying the same for the Yankees, if you haven’t taken them at 4-1, what are you waiting for?

Houston Astros
Power Ranking: 2nd (last week: 2nd)
World Series odds: +500

The Astros lineup was delivered another blow last week, as Yordan Alvarez was placed on the 10-day IL with hand soreness. While it’s never ideal to lose a bat of his caliber, the All-Star break allows him to rest up while not missing many games in the process. Alvarez is posting MVP-type numbers through 75 games, slashing .306/.405/.653 with 26 home runs, 60 RBIs, and 57 runs scored. He’s only seven home runs away from matching his career-high of 33, which he hit last season through 144 games. That said, Alvarez joins Michael Brantley as middle of the lineup bats that’ll likely be out until after the All-Star Game. Luckily for the Astros, they’ll close out the first half of the season with three games against the Angels and three against the Athletics, two teams they’ve combined to go 13-4 against. I mean, if we’re being fair, no one in the American League West has been able to slay the Astros. Against this division, the 56-29 ‘Stros are 26-13.

I still believe they’re appropriately priced at 5-1 odds but I’m not convinced they have the team to take it all down. Another bat in this lineup could change that, as they could use a catcher or utility bench player. While catcher production isn’t always the biggest need, the Astros have some of the worst numbers in the league from them. Combined, they’ve slashed .154/.232/.286, with nine home runs, 28 RBIs and 28 runs scored.

Boston Red Sox
Power Ranking: 8th (last week 7th)
World Series odds: +2800

The Red Sox are a very intriguing team now. They split the four-game series with the Yankees at Fenway Park this weekend, despite going into a massive early hole on Sunday. Beating a stacked Yankees team while subsequently pouring on the most runs allowed in a game by them is a huge confidence boost. The Sox are also on the brink of bringing in several reinforcements, as they’re expected to activate Chris Sale and Nathan Eovaldi, and Garrett Whitlock, amongst others. While winning the American League East is not a legitimate goal, the Red Sox are atop the American League Wild Card standings with a 2 1/2 game lead over the Rays. The Red Sox are also taking advantage of a recent Blue Jays slide, as that team went 1-9 over the last 10 games and is currently on a four-game losing streak. It’s gotten so bad in Toronto that the Orioles' sudden resurgence has them only two games back of fourth place in the East.

With a lot of positive news coming for the Red Sox, I would certainly look to dabble at 28-1 odds. The Red Sox, who were once considered to be sellers at the deadline, will be buyers as they try to keep up with their division rivals. While pitching is a need for this team, the Red Sox could be looking to upgrade at first base with Josh Bell as a potential target, according to recent trade buzz. If the Red Sox can acquire someone like Bell or one of the top starting pitching targets like Frankie Montas of the A’s or Luis Castillo of the Reds, it could begin a legitimate run for this team. These are very long odds for a team that currently has a spot in the postseason.

Toronto Blue Jays
Power Ranking: 9th (last week 9th)
World Series odds: +1500

What do we make of this team right now? It’s been an extreme case of peaks and valleys with this club, who are in danger of falling into last place in the American League East. Simply reading that sentence is amazing to see, especially when you consider they had one

of the highest projected win totals in the league after the Yankees and Dodgers. As of Monday, they’re only three games above .500 at 45-42 and sit 16.5 games back in the East. They also have the lowest run differential amongst teams at or above .500 at +9.

It doesn’t help that the Jays lost two starters over the past week, as Yusei Kikuchi was placed on the 10-day IL due to neck soreness and Kevin Gausman, their big offseason signing, missed a start due to an ankle injury. The hope is that Gausman will be ready to go on Tuesday, but his injury is not what the Blue Jays need during a time when the rotation has a 5.89 ERA in July. This rotation is lacking depth at this point, as the only reliable starter is Alek Manoah. This Jays team could really use a starter at this point but will likely need to get into a bidding war with others, potentially in the same division. With how strong the rest of the division, Orioles included, are playing, I simply cannot back the Jays at these odds.

Baltimore Orioles
Power Ranking: 18th (last week 21st)
World Series odds: +70000

Are the Orioles going to win the World Series? Absolutely not. Are they even going to make the playoffs? Unlikely. But honestly, when doing these articles, did I ever think I’d be writing about the Orioles? Nope! So I figured, now more than ever, this is a fun time to give the O’s some love on what’s been a very unexpected run by them.

Before the season began, you could bet the longest winning streak by a team on DraftKings Sportsbook. If my memory serves me correctly, the Orioles' total was at 5.5. Essentially, the DK Sportsbook was asking if you thought this team would sweep two series in a row. Seemed unlikely! Yet, here they are, with eight wins in a row. The American League West clearly couldn’t handle this O’s team, as they won three against the Rangers and then four against the Angels, all while averaging 4.7 runs per game and allowing an average of 3.2. A two-game series coming up against the Cubs could push this to 10 straight wins if they can sweep the quick two-gamer. With the newly implemented three Wild Card team playoff format, the Orioles are only 2 1/2 out from a spot. A number no one saw coming.

I’m not looking to place a bet on this O’s team by any means but man, what an extremely fun run this team is on.

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