We all saw some fantastic performances in the Wild Card Round. Now, more of the same is expected this week with great talent ready to be showcased. In this piece, we have MLB picks for the AL and NL Division Series, with eight teams still alive in the hunt with their World Series dreams. Which sections will move on to the ALCS and NLCS, respectively?
In one of the American League showdowns, the Astros should take care of business against the Mariners. What’s got people all over Houston excited is that Justin Verlander is ready to take the bump for Game 1. Verlander has been an animal going up against Seattle in his career, and it could prove to be a long day for the Mariners in this one.
Seattle, they’re riding the high of upsetting the Toronto Blue Jays in the Wild Card Round. Seattle traveled to Canada, and not a lot of people thought they’d be able to move on to face the Astros. Luis Castillo was brilliant in Game 1, and then the Mariners recorded their improbable comeback win in Game 2. Seattle was down 8-1 at one point, but they never stopped fighting.
| MLB ALDS odds |  |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Astros to win | -235 | -235 | -235 | -235 |
| Mariners to win | +195 | +195 | +195 | +195 |
| Yankees to win | -220 | -220 | -220 | -220 |
| Guardians to win | +182 | +182 | +182 | +182 |
As for the Astros, they enjoyed resting up during the Wild Card Round, but now they’re ready to get the ball rolling in their hopes of getting back to the Fall Classic. With Verlander on the bump for Game 1, Houston has a great chance of setting the tone in this series early on.
According to the best-rated sportsbooks, which of course, includes the reliable Bovada review, the Astros hold -235 MLB betting odds to win this series. As for the Mariners, they’ve been set at +195. For Seattle, they need a miracle to take down the Astros and get to the ALCS. We don’t think that will happen, as we’re going with the Astros as our pick to win.
In the other ALDS matchup, the Yankees against the Guardians will be an interesting series. These two teams are a lot of fun to watch, though they’ve been a bit different in terms of success. New York got off to an incredible start to the year but struggled late. Meanwhile, Cleveland didn’t look as strong early on but turned things up after the All-Star break.
With the Yankees, Aaron Judge is having an unreal season, as no one will stop talking about him hitting 62 homers this season. That set the new AL record. The big headline this week might have been Aroldis Chapman being left off the ALDS roster, but he’s been away from the team for a while now, and there’s no need for his drama to be around the clubhouse.
The Guardians are led by the great bat of Jose Ramirez, as the slugger is quite impressive. Per the oddsmakers, the Yankees hold -220 odds of winning this series. As for Cleveland, they’ve been set at +182. The Guardians have what it takes to pull off an upset, but we feel the Yankees will be too strong in this one. We’re going with the Yankees as our pick.
Over in the National League, the Dodgers will cruise over the Padres in their NLDS meeting. Not only is Los Angeles a huge favorite for this one, but they also hold the top World Series betting odds, which is great to see for their fanbase. For a while now, Los Angeles has been considered the best option to win it all, and they’re ready to silence anyone doubting them.
The Padres stun the Mets in the NL Wild Card Round, traveling to Queens and winning the best-of-three matchup. Things will be a lot more difficult for them now that they have to take on the Dodgers. Per the oddsmakers, the Dodgers hold -235 odds to win this series, while the Padres are at +195. We’re going with the Dodgers as our pick.
In the other NLDS contest, the Philadelphia Phillies will take on the reigning World Series champs, the Atlanta Braves. This should be another interesting series, with the Braves hoping to repeat as the champs. People assume that the Braves and Dodgers will end up meeting in the NLCS, but the Phillies and Padres will have something to say about that.
With the Braves, they’ll enter the NLDS against Philly with -185 odds. The Phillies, an NL East rival of Atlanta, has been placed at +158. While this NLDS series could be one to remember, we’ll have to give the Braves the advantage. We’re going with Atlanta as our pick to advance to the MLB Playoffs.
