At long last, the 2016 World Series is set.
While the Cleveland Indians punched their ticket on Wednesday—which feels like an eternity ago—the Chicago Cubs broke through and captured their first National League pennant since 1945 on Saturday with a 5-0 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers at Wrigley Field.
And now that the matchup is official, we can start to pore over the initial odds for this year’s Fall Classic, which have been provided by OddsShark.com:
Although the Cubs needed six games to put away the Dodgers, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that they’re solid favorites to take home their first World Series title in 108 years.
Chicago was a -130 (bet $130 to win $100) favorite to win the World Series following its Game 5 win in Los Angeles, with the Indians holding firm at +160 (bet $100 to win $160).
But now that it’s a sure thing that the Cubs will be representing the NL in the Fall Classic, it makes sense that their odds would increase in a way that reflects their recent play and season-long trends.
Chicago was the class of MLB all season long and won a league-best 103 games, and the postseason has offered the Cubs a chance to sustain their success despite a few brief hiccups.
While they once trailed L.A. 2-1, the Cubs mounted a fierce charge and rattled off three straight wins that saw them outscore the Dodgers 23-6 with a couple of strong pitching performances from some of their most dynamic arms.
Jon Lester was sensational in Game 5, scattering five hits, striking out six and allowing one earned run in seven innings. Then, Kyle Hendricks pitched the game of his life on Saturday, with 7.1 scoreless innings of two-hit ball.
So while the Indians have wielded the postseason’s most dangerous pitching staff (1.77 ERA, .206 opponent average), the Cubs’ stable of aces can’t be overlooked.
And if Chicago’s bats get hot, Cleveland could be in real trouble.
Through nine postseason games, the Cubs have scored a playoff-best 43 runs. Comparatively, the Indians have scored 27 runs in eight games.
With Kris Bryant, Javier Baez, Anthony Rizzo and Dexter Fowler all ready to strike at a moment’s notice, the Cubs have the firepower to supplement one of MLB’s strongest starting staffs and take home a title.
Based on the way things have played out over the past week, the smart money should be on Chicago to snap the most famous drought in sports.
Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com