If you’ve watched the first half of the 2017 season for the Chicago Cubs, there are a couple words that come to mind — disappointing, underwhelming, confusing, or pretty much any word that translates into “hot garbage.”
While many Cubs fans have already flushed the 2017 season down the drain (yes, really), the experts in Las Vegas still like the Cubs chances to repeat this fall.
According to Bovada, the Cubs have an 8-to-1 odds to win the World Series this year, along with their 2016 opponent, the Cleveland Indians.
If you recall, the Cubs opened the season as the favorite to win the World Series in 2017 when they opened with 3-1 odds. Currently, they have the fifth best odds behind the Los Angeles Dodgers (7-to-2), the Houston Astros (17-to-4), Boston Red Sox (6-to-1), and Washington Nationals (7-to-1).
So why are the Cubs still considered to be a top 5 team despite playing terrible through the first 88 games?
Their schedule.
Of their remaining 74 games, an overwhelming 71% of them are against opponents which have a record currently below .500. Now, does that mean they’ll walk through the second half?
No.
However, since Joe Maddon took over the Cubs in 2015, the Cubs have blown away the rest of baseball in terms of their second half record (100-48).
So when you see a relatively weak schedule and pair it with the fact the Cubs have historically been a hot second half team, the people in Vegas still think the Cubs are a serious threat to win it all in 2017.
Place your bets now.
