MLB / Nick Shiambouros / 03 July 2009 / Leave a comment

LA are flying in the west but there's plenty of life in the other divisions. Nick Shiambouros catches up with life in the National League...

The National League is as competitive as ever at the halfway point of the season with plenty of teams still in the hunt for the play-offs.

In the East the world champion Philadelphia Phillies are at the top of a very competitive division and are in for a real fight with the Florida Marlins, New York Mets and Atlanta Braves all within two games of the lead.

It is no surprise to see Philadelphia at [17.5] to repeat as world champions as they do not look the same team as last year. The Phillies have one of the worst home records in baseball at 13-22 and unless they can get things going there they will struggle. Starting pitcher Cole Hamels appears to have lost his way on the mound and his ERA has risen to 4.98.

The surprise package in this division is the resurgence of the Florida Marlins. This team is playing some outstanding baseball this season and short stop Hanley Ramirez is batting at an average of .348 and leads the league. The Marlins are trading at a generous [50.0] to win the world series and I have backed them at this price. It is sad to see so few people at the home games, but the recession has hit Florida very hard.

The Central division is led by the Milwaukee Brewers but only six games separate all six teams. At the beginning of the season I fancied the St Louis Cardinals to take this division but I have been a little disappointed with their hitting. The great Albert Pujols is averaging .335 but he is getting little help from anyone else. The Cardinals are trading at [23.0] to win the World Series but I'm in no hurry to take this price.

Over in the West, the Los Angeles Dodgers are leading the division by 7.5 games and have reached this point without the brilliant Manny Ramirez. This superstar was suspended for the first 50 games of the year due to a failed drug test. Ramirez claims he was taking a prescription female fertility medication for health reasons.

Ramirez will be back in action on July 16 and his presence will only strengthen this great team. The Dodgers are trading at [7.4] to win the World Series and I think it is a very fair price indeed. I believe this team has what it takes to be world champions and they look sure to make the playoffs even at this stage of the season. In addition to quality pitching they have a talented hitter in Juan Pierre who is averaging .322 for the year.

The second half of the season in the National League is going to be very interesting and, with the exception of Los Angeles in the West, the other two divisions are wide open with at least ten teams in contention.

Recommended wagers
Back the Los Angeles Dodgers to win the World Series at 7.4.
Back the Florida Marlins to win the World Series at 50