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NL division odds update: Padres can close gap on Dodgers in 2nd half

Matt Thomas/San Diego Padres / Getty Images Sport / Getty

We've broken down the biggest movers in the World Series market and which teams are our best bets over the back half of the season. But what about the divisional races? While some are already sewn up, there is still value in betting a handful of teams to make things interesting.

Here are the odds to win each of the three NL divisions, along with our favorite value bet for each:

NL East

TEAM ODDS
New York Mets -450
Philadelphia Phillies +500
Atlanta Braves +650
Washington Nationals +750
Miami Marlins +5000

When we broke down the updated division odds in May, we loved the Mets at -150 because of their elite pitching in spite of lackluster hitting. Jacob deGrom is having a season for the ages, though New York's bats have produced the second-fewest runs of any team in baseball.

Does that leave a window of opportunity for another team to sneak up the standings if deGrom comes back to earth? The Phillies are only 3.5 games back and have the best record of any team in the division since June 1 (19-15). If Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola can show their ace form over the second half, Philly's got a shot.

Value: Phillies +500

NL Central

TEAM ODDS
Milwaukee Brewers -900
Cincinnati Reds +500
Chicago Cubs +900
St. Louis Cardinals +1800
Pittsburgh Pirates +50000

I loved the Brewers to win this division before the season, and I see no reason to back off now. Milwaukee's front-line trio of Brandon Woodruff, Corbin Burnes, and Freddy Peralta is arguably the best in the bigs, and even with a downright brutal performance from its bats, this group is still four games up on the Reds with the division's best run differential (+46) by a long shot. Is that worth laying nearly -900 odds on? Probably not, but it's not worth fading, either.

Value: None

NL West

TEAM ODDS
Los Angeles Dodgers -250
San Diego Padres +300
San Francisco Giants +300
Arizona Diamondbacks +50000
Colorado Rockies +50000

Are we sure the Dodgers are better than the Padres? Los Angeles is four games ahead in the NL West after the first half of the season, but San Diego has won seven of 10 contests between these two, including a three-game sweep when they met in June. We'll be treated to another nine games in August and September, which could be the deciding factor in which team wins this division.

Value: Padres +300

C Jackson Cowart is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on Twitter (@CJacksonCowart) or email him at cjackson.cowart@thescore.com.

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