Justin Verlander took over as AL Cy Young favorite this month ahead of Shane McClanahan, and he's trying to hold off surging Dylan Cease as their teams push for the pennant. The Houston Astros top the American League with 77 wins, but the Tampa Bay Rays and Chicago White Sox are top challengers in the AL Wild Card chase thanks to their top pitchers.
Verlander is the current AL Cy Young favorite with -190 odds on FanDuel Sportsbook. He's followed by Cease (+260) and Shane McClanahan (+1000). Shohei Ohtani (+3200) has fallen way back along with his Los Angeles Angels.
Verlander has a league-best 1.95 ERA and leads the Majors with 15 wins. Cease saw his ERA go up to 2.09 his last start when he and Verlander dueled and each allowed 3 runs in a 4-3 White Sox win. It was the first time since May 24 that Cease's ERA rose – a span of 14 starts, the longest for a starting pitcher since 2019.
Cease has moved up sharply since being +1700 on the Fourth of July. He's now a major AL Cy Young contender after McClanahan was the slight favorite the end of July. Cease has racked up 178 strikeouts and 12.0 K's per 9 innings. McClanahan has fallen out of the lead despite a strong 2.29 ERA, 11.1 Ks per 9 innings and AL-best 0.863 WHIP.
Here's a look at the top pitchers and updated'AL Cy Young odds'on FanDuel Sportsbook.