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Coming off Sunday night’s action during this Memorial Day weekend, the first quarter of the MLB regular season is now in the books, with all 30 teams logging at least 40 games. While some of the preseason favorites have already established a foothold at the top of their division race, there have been a few unexpected results, both on the field and at the betting window.

Using the current moneyline standings on Odds Shark, the following is Doc’s Sports first-quarter report card for a few of the best and worst performers in both the American League and the National League.

American League Winners

The biggest surprise of the early MLB season has to be the play of the Houston Astros in the AL West. Following Sunday’s 10-8 victory against Detroit as a plus-37 road underdog, they are 29-16 on the year with a 6.5-game lead over the Los Angeles Angels in the division. Bettors that have been along for the ride have profited with a positive $1,448 return on the moneyline betting odds. Houston is 13-9 this season as a favorite, and when it does close as an underdog, it has won 16 of 23 games.

Another team that has exceeded expectations both on the field and as a moneyline bet has been the AL Central’s Kansas City Royals. Following a 2-1 weekend series victory against St. Louis in an interleague matchup, they are three games ahead of both the Minnesota Twins and the Detroit Tigers in that division-title race with an overall record of 28-15. The Royals’ total return on the moneyline this season stands at a positive $1,183. They have gone 17-7 at home, which has added up to a $768 profit, and their record as an underdog this season is a healthy 11-5.

The Twins actually have a better overall return on the moneyline at a positive $1,231, and they have easily been the top moneymaker at home with a positive $953 return on a record of 14-6. This drops to $278 on the road, where they are slightly below .500 at 11-12.

American League Losers

The most costly team in the AL to wager on this season has been the Oakland Athletics, who are already buried in the AL West race at 13.5 games off the pace. Their unexpected record of 16-30 has been extremely tough on bettors with a minus-$1,485 on the moneyline. The A’s are just 11-22 this season when closing as favorites, and their record at home is a dismal 5-14.

Another costly AL team that has woefully underperformed on the moneyline so far is the Toronto Blue Jays in the AL East. They are still in the thick of things in the standings at 4.5 games back behind a record of 20-26, but their current return stands at minus-$721. Most of their issues have come on the road with a record of 8-15. This has equated to a $624 loss on a moneyline wager.

National League Winners

The National League has gone much closer to chalk in the actual standings, with the Washington Nationals in the East, the St. Louis Cardinals in the Central and the Los Angeles Dodgers in the West all holding the lead in their respective divisions. When it comes to betting on these teams, the Cardinals have been the shining star with a positive $646 return. They are especially solid as favorites with a record of 22-11.

The Dodgers’ return on an overall record of 26-17 is just $19 given their 7-11 record on the road, and the Nationals’ unexpected slow start has their total return up just $45. Washington has been an excellent team to go with lately, with a 19-5 record in its last 24 games.

The second-best return on the moneyline in the NL belongs to the San Francisco Giants. They are coming off a 2-2 split against Colorado this past weekend that cut into the numbers a bit with two losses as road favorites, but the Giants’ overall return is still a solid $636. They are 12-14 this season as favorites, but they have gone a profitable 13-6 when closing as underdogs.

National League Losers

The costliest team in the NL so far has been the Milwaukee Brewers with a negative $1,057 return on a moneyline bet. They have been almost as costly on the road (minus-$402) as at home (minus-$655), and they are well below .500 as both favorites (5-12) and as underdogs (11-17). The Brewers’ overall record stands at 16-29, and they are 12.5 games behind St. Louis at the 45-game mark of the season.

The Miami Marlins had high expectations that they could compete with Washington for the NL East title this season, but that has not been the case with an 18-27 mark that has them 8.5 games off the pace in that division race. This nine-game swing below .500 has led to a costly $794 loss on a moneyline bet. The Marlins are 8-7 as underdogs, but that record drops to 10-20 when they close as favorites.

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The new MLB season is underway. While there are some clear favorites in many of the six divisions, you can fully expect to see a few battles raging on right through the final game of the 162-game schedule.

To put things in better perspective, Doc’s Sports took a closer look at Odds Shark’s MLB futures odds for each of these six division races to see where the best value may lie.

AL East

The Baltimore Orioles stunned the betting public last season by winning the AL East by 12 games with a record of 96-66. The favored Boston Red Sox were coming off a run to the 2013 World Series title, but they faded to last place in this division in 2014 with a record of 71-91.

A massive offseason rebuilding project that added both arms to the rotation and bats to the lineup has convinced bettors that Boston will be back on top in the East this season with +200 betting odds for it to win the division. The Orioles and the Toronto Blue Jays are both +300 second favorites, followed by New York at +450 and Tampa Bay at +700.

AL Central

Detroit has owned the AL Central in recent years with four straight division titles, and things are not expected to change this season, as Detroit is a +220 favorite to win again this season. The biggest hurdle that the Tigers should face in extending this streak is the simple fact that the gap between them and a few of the other division title contenders is as thin as ever.

Both the Chicago White Sox and the Cleveland Indians have been listed as +240 second favorites, and you still have Kansas City sitting in the wings as a +450 fourth favorite. The Royals battled the Tigers tooth and nail last season, only to finish one game off the pace. The Minnesota Twins appear to have a solid grip on last place in the Central at +1,800 odds.

AL West

You would have to go all the way back to the 2001 season to find the last time that Seattle ended up on top in the AL West, but the Mariners start this season as +125 favorites to win this division. A couple of offseason additions are expected to pay huge dividends for Seattle following last year’s late-season run to an 87-75 record that was good enough for third in the West.

The Los Angeles Angels cruised to a 10-game lead over Oakland to win last season’s division title with an MLB-best record of 98-64, but they come into this year’s campaign as +180 second favorites to win the AL West. The Athletics are expected to take a step backward at +400 betting odds, and Texas is bringing up the rear in the West at +1,200.

NL East

This division is expected to be the most lopsided race on the board, with last season’s champs, the Washington Nationals, listed as prohibitive -400 favorites to win their third NL East title in the last four years. They cruised to a comfortable 17-game lead over both Atlanta and New York in last year’s race at 96-66, and the Nationals could be even better this time around behind an improved pitching staff that was already ranked first in the majors last year.

The two closest teams in this year’s race are expected to be the Mets and the Miami Marlins at +600 betting odds to win the East. Atlanta is a distant +2,500 third favorite, and Philadelphia is expected to once again finish last at +5,000.

NL Central

Just as Detroit has dominated the AL Central over the past few years, the St. Louis Cardinals have been listed as +130 favorites to lay claim to their third straight NL Central title this year. Last season, they were able to hold off Pittsburgh by two games to win the Central with an overall record of 90-72. The Pirates are expected to again provide the most competition this season as +240 second favorites.

Optimism is running high in Chicago for the retooled Cubs, which are listed as +300 third favorites to win their first NL Central crown since 2008. Milwaukee is next on the list at +1,000 odds, followed by Cincinnati at +1,200.

NL West

The Los Angeles Dodgers opened as heavy favorites to win the 2014 NL West title, and they did not disappoint with a 94-68 record that was six games better than that of San Francisco. The Giants went on to win the World Series, while Los Angeles bowed out of the playoffs in the National League Division Series in four games.

This time around, the Dodgers have been listed as heavy -200 favorites to win the West, with the San Diego Padres set as +350 second favorites. The Giants are next on the list at +500, followed by Colorado at +1,800 and Arizona at +2,000.

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To the surprise and even disappointment of many, the World Series features two teams that are as unlikely participants in the Fall Classic as they are unfamiliar with the game’s biggest stage.

San Francisco has not been to the World Series since 2002. That was the last time when two teams from West divisions reached the Fall Classic. The Giants have not won a World Series title since 1954. Before this season, the Rangers had never even won a playoff series.

Yet here the Giants and Rangers are as the last two teams standing in baseball as they prepare to open the World Series Wednesday night at 7:55 p.m. ET in San Francisco’s AT&T Park.

Neither team got here by accident. The Rangers, owners of the best offense in the league, dispatched the defending champion New York Yankees. The Giants, owners of the best pitching in the league, dispatched the two-time defending NL champion Phillies.

Both teams won their series over the last two World Series champions, and they did it in six games.

Thanks to the National League snapping its 14-year All-Star Game drought, the series will open in San Francisco. Texas will play host to Games 3, 4 and 5 with San Francisco hosting the rest.

In this series, maybe home field is not exactly an advantage. Both teams have actually played better away from home. The Giants are 4-1 on the road including series-clinching wins at Atlanta and Philadelphia. Texas is 5-1 on the road including a win in a deciding Game 5 in the ALDS against Tampa Bay.

San Francisco and Texas did not meet this season in interleague play, and that is probably a good thing for Texas. The Giants have had their number in interleague meetings since 2000 with the Giants winning 11 of 12 contests, including a three-game San Francisco sweep in 2009.

The Giants lineup looks drastically different now than it did on opening day. One of the midseason acquisitions was Phillies-killer Cody Ross, who was named NLCS MVP. The Rangers leaned heavily on an offseason acquisition too—Cliff Lee.

A major storyline in this series is Texas catcher Bengie Molina. The Giants traded Molina to Texas in July. The move was a major coup for Texas to land the veteran, but it also allowed San Francisco to call up catcher Buster Posey.

The rookie catcher has been sensational in the postseason (.314 batting average), but Molina has been just as important for what he does behind the plate and at the plate (.333 batting average, 7 RBI in the playoffs).

Rangers vs. Giants World Series Pitching Matchups

Cliff Lee (LHP 12-9, 3.18 ERA) vs. Tim Lincecum (RHP 16-10, 3.43 ERA)

In the Year of the Pitcher is it any surprise that Game 1 pits the best the game has to offer in Lee and Lincecum. Lee is 3-0 with a 0.75 ERA in these playoffs, and Lincecum is 2-1 with a 1.93 ERA. Lee is fresh for Game 1 thanks to the Rangers closing out the Yankees in Game 6.

Lincecum will be prepared, too, even after being brought in for the eighth inning of San Francisco’s Game 6 clincher over the Phillies.

After Lincecum the Giants will probably go with Matt Cain (1-0 with 13 2/3 scoreless innings in the playoffs) and Jonathan Sanchez (0-1, 2.02 ERA).

Madison Bumgarner (1-0, 4.22 ERA) will likely be used in long relief, and closer Brian Wilson has saved four games and won one this postseason without allowing an earned run.

In the Texas rotation there is a considerable drop off after Lee, but Colby Lewis (2-0, 1.45 ERA) has been impressive in 18 innings of work in the playoff.

Rangers vs. Giants World Series Odds

The Rangers are slight favorites to win their first ever World Series. They are listed at -135 to win the best-of-seven series while San Francisco is priced at +115. MLB World Series odds are courtesy of BetUS.

Rangers vs. Giants Betting Trends

Rangers are 10-1 in their last 11 games against the National League
Rangers are 8-1 in their last nine road games
Giants are 7-0 in their last seven games following an off day
Giants are 5-1 in their last six games as a home underdog
‘Under’ is 6-1 in the last seven meetings in San Francisco
San Francisco is 11-1 in the last 12 meetings
Rangers are 0-9 in last nine games in San Francisco

Rangers vs. Giants World Series Picks and Baseball Predictions

Both teams reached the World Series entirely different ways. The Rangers did it with hitting, and the Giants did it with pitching. Their paths to the World Series were different, as well.

San Francisco was locked in nail-biter after nail-biter; it had to win three games in the NLCS by exactly one run. The Rangers played only one close game in the ALCS, and the final five games in the series were decided by five or more runs.

Things are expected to be decidedly closer in this series, and that favors San Francisco. The Texas bullpen has only been needed to save one game all postseason.

In the Year of Pitcher it is only fitting the team with the best pitching, the San Francisco Giants, will be the ones left standing. Look for the Giants to win in six games.

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