Are Philadelphia Phillies a Sleeper Pick to Win NL Pennant?

This content was produced in partnership with Gambler.Media.

For fans of the Philadelphia Phillies, Thursday was a good day.

In fact, for many baseball fans around the country, it was. Not only was Major League Baseball Opening Night, after it looked like there might be no season at all, but it was also announced that there will be expanded playoffs for 2020.

Instead of three division winners and two wild cards, there will now be eight teams in: three division winners, three second place teams, and two wild cards. The first round of the playoffs will be called the Wild Card Series, and will see the teams seeded one through eight, with a best-of-three series. All games will be at the higher seed, with the winners moving on to a best-of-five Division Series. Both League Championship Series and the World Series will be best-of-seven.

The Phillies, who looked to be at a disadvantage this season due to playing games only against the strong NL East and AL East, now have a decent shot of making the playoffs.

Philadelphia gets underway Friday night against the Marlins, and could benefit from a perceived decent run of games early to build a base for the rest of the 2020 campaign.

According to PointsBet, the Phillies have an over/under win total of 31.5 games (out of a 60-game regular season). If you believe this team will make the playoffs, which many fans and bettors do now, the over 31.5 is definitely worth a play here.

Once you get into the futures, it is a tougher call. The strength of the NL East is shown in the PointsBet odds to win the division. Philadelphia is joint third with the Mets at +350, behind loaded Atlanta (+180) and the defending World Series champion Washington (+225). Atlanta won this division last season, and looks to be a good play here as well.

The Phillies are joint 10th to win the World Series, with odds of +2500. But if you believe this team has the ability to win the division, or even make the playoffs (which many do), those odds might be worth a chance.

With PointsBet promo code AMGAMBLER you get a $250 deposit bonus, as well as various offers once you open your account.

***

The NHL is getting ready to start its playoffs on August 1, and the Philadelphia Flyers are getting some love from pundits all around the country and Canada.

The Flyers will be one of the top four seeds in the Eastern Conference, and will be in the Toronto round robin to determine seeding. PointsBet has the Flyers at +500 to win the round robin and be the top seed, with Boston (+140) and Tampa Bay (+175) the two favorites, and Washington at +550.

Philadelphia is +550 to win the Prince of Wales Trophy as Eastern Conference champion (same as Washington), with Boston and Tampa Bay both +300. Philly is +1050 to win its first Stanley Cup since 1975.

If you think the Flyers can make a run, those odds are very tempting.

If you or anyone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER.