MLB Standings 2019: Dodgers, Yankees, Astros Lead League, Twins, Braves, Indians, Rays In Next Tier

The 2019 MLB season is nearly 80 percent complete, and the sport’s elite teams remain in a class of their own. The Los Angeles Dodgers (84-44), New York Yankees (83-45) and Houston Astros (81-47) are the three clear World Series favorites, battling for the best record in baseball.

The Dodgers have essentially wrapped up the division with a 20-game lead atop the NL West over the second-place Arizona Diamondbacks (64-64). The Yankees are comfortably nine games ahead of the Tampa Bay Rays (74-54) and 16 games in front of the Boston Red Sox (67-61) in the AL East. The Astros lead the AL West with a seven-game advantage over the Oakland Athletics (73-53).

Home-field advantage in the Fall Classic could ultimately come down to this weekend’s series at Dodger Stadium. Los Angeles will host New York for three games in a potential World Series preview.

The Astros are two games behind the Yankees in the AL standings and three games behind the Dodgers in the overall MLB standings. Houston has the best odds to win the championship, two years after winning Game 7 of the World Series in L.A.

MLB’s top three teams all have better than 5/1 World Series odds at various sportsbooks, according to OddsShark. Most sportsbooks have every other team at 10/1 or worse.

The Minnesota Twins (77-50) lead baseball’s second tier of contenders, trailing the Yankees by 5.5 games in the race for the AL’s No.1 seed. Minnesota has a three-game lead over the Cleveland Indians (74-53) in the AL Central.

The Indians, Athletics and Rays find themselves in a tight race for the AL Wild-Card. The three teams are only separated by a half-game.

Over in the NL, the Atlanta Braves (76-52) are eight games behind the Dodgers and six games ahead of the Washington Nationals (69-57) in the NL East. The NL Central might come down to the wire with the Chicago Cubs (68-58), St. Louis Cardinals (67-58) and Milwaukee Brewers (65-62) all in a close race.

Washington is atop the NL Wild-Card race with a three-game lead over the first team that’s currently out of the playoffs. The Philadelphia Phillies (66-60) and New York Mets (66-60) are also involved in what looks like a five-team race.

The Cardinals, Phillies, Mets and Brewers are only separated by three games.