2022 NL Central Betting Odds and Prediction
2022 NL Central Betting Preview
With oddsmakers seemingly disqualifying three of the five teams in the NL Central before Opening Day, all eyes are on the St Louis Cardinals to dethrone Milwaukee if there is to be turmoil in the division this season. WagerTalk MLB analyst Eric Pauly shares his thoughts on the 2022 version of the National League Central.
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2022 NL Central Division Odds
Last year, with just 62 games left in the season, the Cardinals were 50-50. St. Louis finished this season on a 40-22 run and ended up in second place in the NL Central. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, they came up short in the Wild Card game at the hands of the Dodgers.
The NL Central is one of the weaker divisions in baseball and in my opinion, there is no reason why the Cardinals cannot match their high-level play at the end of last season. St. Louis made some solid signings in free agency and retained their core players.
The Brewers are the favorite to win the NL Central and the Cardinals have the second-best odds. The other three teams in the NL Central all have longer than +1000 odds to take home the division. Oddsmakers believe this is a two-team race, and I think there is value in the Cardinals.
| 2022 National League Central Odds | Courtesy of Caesars as of March 30 |
|---|---|
| Milwaukee Brewers | -150 |
| St Louis Cardinals | +200 |
| Chicago Cubs | +1100 |
| Cincinnati Reds | +1500 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | +6000 |
Two Team Race?
The Brewers join the White Sox and the Dodgers as the three MLB teams with odds below even-money to win their division.
Milwaukee’s pitching staff finished last season third in ERA, fourth in WHIP, third in quality starts, first in shutouts, and seventh in saves. Milwaukee was able to retain all their pitchers while also acquiring reliever Brad Boxberger. The Brewers needed to improve their offense, so they acquired Hunter Renfrow, Andrew McCutchen and Pedro Severino.
While the Brewers will be tough to dethrone, I think the way the Cardinals ended last season will be how they start this season. The Cardinals had key injuries to players like SP Jack Flaherty for most of the season. St. Louis is a young, talented team and was efficient offensive and defensively last season. With Flaherty back plus the Steven Matz signing, I expect the Cardinals pitching staff to improve and St. Louis to win the NL Central in 2022.
Interested in placing a bet on the 2022 NL Central division odds? Caesars Sports is offering up to a $1,500 match bet for first-time deposits in New Jersey, West Virginia, Colorado, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Virginia, Tennessee, Arizona, New York and Louisiana.
MLB Betting Tips
What stats should you be looking for in the box score to help you determine a pitcher’s performance? Kelly Stewart sat down with MLB bettor Dave Cokin to go over three key areas when assessing a pitcher in the betting market: Changes in velocity; hard-hit and contact rates; and patterns of fatigue.
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Meet the Author
Eric Pauly, @slimeaction on Twitter, graduated from Binghamton University with a degree in Finance. Eric is a die-hard Washington Commanders and New York Knicks fan and enjoys watching and writing about the NFL, NBA and MLB. His favorite gambling movements include hitting a +1000 future on Washington to win the NFC East in 2020 and predicting Jonathan Taylor’s breakout season with a +900 ticket for him to win the 2021 NFL rushing title. Aside from the sports betting industry, Eric also enjoys good eats, dynasty fantasy football leagues, daily fantasy sports and playing the guitar.
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