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After four weeks of the NFL we get a short break from football for the start of the MLB Playoffs. We have two one-game Wild Card playoff games starting with the New York Yankees hosting the Houston Astros tonight in the Bronx. This should be a great game as the Astros send left handed Dallas Keuchel to the mound who is a favorite for the American League Cy Young award. The Yankees have hit lefties very well this season and will have their ace Masahiro Tanaka going the mound. It should be a close game and with the line set at just -108 in favor of the Astros, it’s anyone’s game.
Then tomorrow we have the huge NL Wild Card game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Chicago Cubs. These two teams finished with the second and third best records in all of baseball and one of them will go home tomorrow, finished for the season. It’s pretty unfair when you think about it, but this type of situation is so rare that it’s hard to get too upset about it. We’ll be looking forward to that one.
With the playoffs kicking off we also have the release of World Series odds. There are some interesting lines out there and with the playoffs just in their infancy this is the time to find the best value lines. We have a couple of nice future bets for you as well today.
MLB Playoffs Betting Tips:
All eyes will be in New York tonight for the Astros and Yankees game. To me this game comes down to what Dallas Keuchel does. When he is on he is one of the best pitchers in all of baseball, but he has struggled on the road this season. He had a 1.46 ERA at home during the regular season and a 3.77 ERA on the road. He allowed a .304 wOBA to hitters on the road as well so tonight could be trouble. The Yankees as a team were 7th in wOBA against left handed pitchers as well. He could get into trouble tonight and I think the Yankees will be able to score against him. Masahiro Tanaka is a hittable pitcher as well and over 7 runs feels like a strong play here. The Astros have been playing some good baseball as of late and I feel like they have a lot more upside as a team so I’ll be taking Astros -108 as well.
MLB World Series Futures:
According to FanGraphs World Series odds, the Dodgers have a 22.6% chance of winning the World Series which is the best of any team in the playoffs. Despite this the Dodgers are actually the third favorite team by sportsbooks and Dodgers +525 is a great value play. The match-ups break right for them as well as they’ll get the Mets in the NLDS and then the winner of the Cubs/Cards/Pirates death pool in the NLCS. If one of those Wild Card teams manages to upset the Cardinals they will have home field advantage for the NLCS. A huge potential value here.
If you are just looking for a wild card (as opposed to Wild Card) to bet on, I would definitely take a long look at the Texas Rangers +610 to win the American League. They have the toughest first round match-up against the Rangers. This series will be a slugfest and that favors the Jays, but if they can somehow make it past them I like their chances against the Royals. Their bullpen isn’t as scary as it once was and they’ve looked far more human in the second half. The Rangers could very well be this year’s momentum team.
