October baseball and Major League Baseball playoffs have arrived, and the battle to make it to the World Series begins Tuesday with the American League wild-card game. Five teams in each league vie for their respective pennant. Below, we give our picks and best bets for the American League and National League pennants.
In the American League, the Houston Astros and Chicago White Sox face one another, while the Tampa Bay Rays await the winner of the wild-card game between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox.
In the National League, the Atlanta Braves will face the Milwaukee Brewers, while the San Francisco Giants await the winner of the National League wild-card game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals.
American League and National League pennant odds
Odds via Tipico Sportsbook and last updated Tuesday, Oct. 5.
American League
- Houston Astros +220
- Tampa Bay Rays +250
- Chicago White Sox +320
- New York Yankees +600
- Boston Red Sox +700
National League
- Los Angeles Dodgers +180
- San Francisco Giants +280
- Milwaukee Brewers +330
- Atlanta Braves +600
- St. Louis Cardinals +900
American League and National League pennant predictions and best bets
American League
Tampa Bay won the most games in the American League and played in the toughest division, where four of the five teams won more than 90 games. The Rays were 11-8 against the Yankees and 11-8 against the Red Sox, while they posted a 3-3 record against the White Sox and a 2-4 record against the Astros; they were 48-42 against winning teams.
The Rays have the second-best home record in the AL and the top road record.
Tampa Bay was led by its pitching which was first in ERA and WHIP and fourth in opponents’ batting average in the American League.
The White Sox, Yankees and Astros round out the top four teams in the AL in pitching.
The Astros had the best win percentage against winning teams at 45-32. Houston led the American League in batting average and runs, and was second in OPS and fifth in home runs.
The Rays and the Astros are battle-tested in the playoffs. Tampa finished the regular season with seven wins in its last 10 games; Houston won four of its final 10.
Take the RAYS (+250).
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National League
The National League’s best team was the Giants but only won their division over the Dodgers by one game.
The hottest team to end the year was the Cardinals, who won 21 of their last 25 games but finished the season losing two in a row. They face the Dodgers, who won 18 of their final 21, in a one-game wild-card game.
Because one will be eliminated immediately, neither makes a good bet to win the pennant.
Neither the Braves nor the Brewers had a winning record against winning teams this season. The Brewers lost 10 of their last 14 games, while the Braves finished hot, winning 12 of their final 14.
However, the Giants, who won the most games in all of baseball, won 10 of their last 12 games and went 21-5 over their last 26 games.
The Dodgers have three of the best pitchers in the league but the Giants went 10-9 against them in the regular season. The Cardinals went 4-2 against the Giants and 3-4 against the Dodgers.
The Dodgers and Giants were No. 1 and No. 2 in runs scored and also ERA.
The Giants were 35-28 against winning teams and the Dodgers were 35-27. Los Angeles was four games better at home than San Francisco, but the Giants were five games better than the Dodgers on the road.
The National League is really a battle between those two teams, and since the Dodgers have to win a one-game series, it makes them a worse bet than the Giants.
Take the GIANTS (+280).
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