MLB playoffs division series picks: Best bets for ALCS, NLCS
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Following an NLDS that validated the old adage of anything being possible in a short series and an ALDS in which the Lone Star State reigned supreme, we’ve got MLB’s version of the Final Four set to battle for the right to meet in the World Series.
FrontPageBets as one series bet to consider for both the Rangers-Astros and Phillies-Diamondbacks League Championship Series clashes.
Phillies vs. Diamondbacks best bets: NLCS odds, preview picks and predictions
Given the Phillies and Diamondbacks overcame heavy underdog status in their respective division series to knock off the two highest-scoring teams in baseball, this series begins with a built-in air of unpredictability.
The Phillies have the intangible edge of having already been to the Fall Classic last season.
Nevertheless, the D-Backs just completed a clean sweep of the 100-win Dodgers, so good luck convincing them there’s any hurdle they can’t conquer.
The seven-game regular-season series between the teams finished with the Phillies holding a slim 4-3 edge. Five of the seven games notably finished with one-run margins.
NLCS Bet: Series Double: Diamondbacks Game 1 Winner and Phillies Series winner (+450 or better)
Zach Wheeler is slated to take the hill for the Phillies in Monday night’s Game 1 following his 10-strikeout gem against the Braves last Monday. He’ll be opposed by Arizona ace Zac Gallen, who helped knock off the Dodgers last Monday as well and is 2-0 with a 3.18 ERA over two postseason turns this month.
While there are undeniably safer bets to take — beginning with the Phillies as the outright winners of the series — the combination of what could be a D-Backs edge in Game 1 and a terrific price make this wager an enticing one.
Good as Wheeler has been in the first two postseasons of his career (2.59 ERA, 0.72 WHIP in 48.2 innings), he’s drawing a matchup that’s given him plenty of trouble in the past. The projected Diamondbacks starting lineup has plenty of landmines, including a Christian Walker-Tommy Pham-Ketel Marte-Lourdes Gurriel quartet which is a combined 21-for-48 (.438) with four doubles and four homers against him in his career.
Nevertheless, even with the D-Backs pulling off a potential Game 1 upset, I still like the Phillies to bounce back and prevail, although it could well take seven games. The defending NL champs not only have the experience edge in the high-stakes environment, but a deeper and more talented rotation overall.
Astros vs. Rangers: ALCS odds, preview picks and predictions
These two squads finished tied atop the AL West in the regular season with matching 90-72 records, although the Astros took the division crown thanks to dominating the season series between the teams by a 9-4 margin.
Five of those wins were by a combined seven runs, but the Astros outscored Texas, 39-10, in a three-game sweep at Globe Life Field on Sept. 4-6.
One encouraging piece of news for the Rangers is that ace Max Scherzer appears to be ready for a return from his shoulder injury after another successful bullpen session Friday.
ALCS Bet: Over 55.5 Total Series Runs (-115 or better)
Both teams wield fearsome lineups and solid starting rotations, but even Scherzer and Justin Verlander are not without vulnerability.
With the sheer amount of offensive firepower that will be stepping into the batter’s box and the expectation this series goes either six or seven, a bet on a fairly elevated series run total after the two teams combined for six double-digit run tallies during their 13 regular-season meetings is the way I’m going.
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Juan Carlos Blanco is a Catena Media contributor and has been writing about sports betting and fantasy sports since 2015 for a wide variety of industry websites, and his work has also been syndicated in outlets such as Yahoo Sports, CBS Sports and NBA.com. Follow his work via Twitter @jcblanco22.
