We’ve got less than two weeks left in the regular season and every single game will count for the teams hoping to make the playoffs. In the American League, things are really coming down to the wire. In this piece, we have MLB picks with massive Wild Card implications. On the list of course is a massive showdown on Sunday between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees.
It goes without saying, but the Boston vs. New York series will be one to remember. The two clubs are set to begin a three-game series at Fenway Park on Friday night. Then, they’ll face off again on Saturday and close things out with a showdown on Sunday, which will be featured on ESPN as part of their Sunday Night Baseball event. This will only add to the drama.
On Sunday night, we’re expecting a showdown on the hill between Jordan Montgomery for New York and Eduardo Rodriguez for Boston. In this case, we’re going to have two hard-throwing lefties go at it, which will surely only make things even more interesting. For Montgomery, he’s 6-6 on the year with a 3.55 ERA. Meanwhile, for Rodriguez, he’s 11-8, but with a 4.97 ERA.
| MLB odds |  |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yankees to win | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |
| Red Sox to win | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |
| Mariners to win | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |
| Angels to win | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |
Both pitchers will have quite the tall task of trying to slow down the opposing lineups. Boston really is loaded, while the Yankees have guys like Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge, Anthony Rizzo, Joey Gallo and others. Stanton really is on a tear right now, as the former NL MVP is heating up at the right time for his club. With the Yankees desperate to make the playoffs, they’ll need Stanton to keep rocking.
While Boston will have the home-field advantage for this one – and the series as a whole – we think that the Yankees will actually end up taking two games out of three this weekend. Though the MLB odds haven’t been released yet as of this writing by the Las Vegas sportsbooks, Boston figures to be the favorite on Sunday night, but we don’t think that will matter. We’re going with the Yankees to win on Sunday. Do you agree? Check out our MLB betting sites, like Bovada, and place a bet.
Over in the AL West, the Mariners are playing for their postseason lives against the Angels this weekend. Remember, Seattle hasn’t made it to the playoffs since their historic campaign in 2001. Ichiro Suzuki and others really had the Pacific Northwest rocking that year, but things ended in disappointing fashion as the team, which won 116 games that season, couldn’t push for the World Series.
Now, Seattle is in the AL Wild Card hunt, trying to sneak in. It’s a race between Boston, New York, Seattle, Toronto and Oakland for the two spots. The Mariners will be ready to try and do whatever is needed to wipe away the 21 years without postseason ball. This weekend, they’ll have a huge series with the LA Angels. Unfortunately for Seattle, that series will be on the road in Anaheim.
On Sunday, though, the team will send out stud left-handed pitcher Marco Gonzales out to the bump. Gonzales has been superb for Seattle this season, posting a 9-5 record. At the same time, his inconsistency has him with a 4.14 ERA. Obviously, the Seattle coaching staff wishes that ERA was a bit lower, but Gonzalez has been known to step up in big-time situations.
The odds for Sunday’s Mariners-Angels game are yet to be revealed, but the fact that Gonzales will take the bump for the visitors should provide the fans with some optimism. Will the lefty be able to deliver another strong performance and keep his team in the AL Wild Card hunt come Sunday? We believe that Gonzalez will be able to do just that. The Mariners are our pick for the Sunday tilt.
In another fun tilt between Toronto and Minnesota, Robbie Ray will power the Blue Jays over the Twins on Saturday. We don’t need the odds for this one folks, as Ray is the front-runner to take home the AL Cy Young honors this season. Ray has edged Gerrit Cole of the New York Yankees as the favorite to capture the highest honor for a pitcher in the American League.
On the year, Ray is 12-6 with an impressive 2.72 ERA. On top of that, his 238 strikeouts let you know just how dangerous he is whenever he’s on the mound. This is fantastic news for the Blue Jays, as they’re taking on the Twins this weekend in a series. Ray is already scheduled to take the bump on Saturday, which of course gives them an early advantage.
Toronto is right in the thick of things in the AL Wild Card. They’re hoping to beat out the other teams involved for one of the two spots. The Blue Jays sure have what it takes to make plenty of noise in the postseason, they just need to make it in first. On Saturday, our pick is no doubt for the Blue Jays to record a win over the Twins, with Ray dazzling in the process.
