MLB playoffs odds and picks

M Live

10 October 2023

What’s better than one? Two, of course. That’s what BetMGM Sportsbook is offering: TWO ways to make your dollars stretch when you open a new account:

Get Up To $1,500 Paid Back In Bonus Bets, If You Don’t Win OR
Bet $10, Get $200 in Bonus Bets

Two is also an important number for the Baltimore Orioles and Texas Rangers, as they prepare for Game 3 of their AL Division Series. The Rangers are up 2-0, which means one more victory punches their ticket to the League Championship Series. Before the first pitch, check out the Best MLB Betting Sites for the most opportunistic promotional offers available for your baseball betting.

The second AL Playoff Game pits the Houston Astros in Minnesota to meet the Twins. That series is tied at one game each. The Astros are still favored to win the pennant, at +225 via BetMGM. The odds on the Twins are +250.

Series odds:

Texas (-1100), Baltimore (+700)

Game 3 odds:

Game 3 pitching matchup:

Dean Kremer (13-5, 4.12 ERA, 157 K in 172.2 IP) vs. Nathan Eovaldi (1-0, 1.35 ERA, 8 K in 6.2 IP)

The Rangers have shown they can win a low-scoring tight affair (3-2 in Game 1), and a slugfest (11-8 in Game 2). Their offensive attack has been democratic: six players with an extra-base hit, and five players have reached base at least three times. They’ve won by patching together a bullpen game, they’ve turned a few rally-killing double plays, and they have a grand slam.

The Orioles are showing what happens when luck runs out. The O’s had an unusually high success rate in one-run games this season. That type of good fortune has a way of disappearing like a hoagie sandwich in a dorm fridge. Now, Baltimore needs their pitching staff to hold down the Rangers and deliver a lead to the bullpen. If not, this young team will spend the winter wondering how they won 100+ games and were swept by a team that backed into a wild card spot.

Eovaldi hasn’t faced the Orioles in 2023, but last season he allowed only three earned runs in 20 ⅔ frames. That probably won’t make a difference, but Eovaldi is a thinking man’s pitcher who will have a plan when facing the eager young bats in the Baltimore lineup. So far, Adley Rutschman has not been a factor, but he’ll need to be aggressive in Game 3, or his offseason will start sooner than he wants.

No, Dean Kremer is not a character from an Animal House movie. He’s the Orioles 27-year old long-haired righthander. Kremer relies heavily on his four-seam fastball, mixing it with a cut fastball. All that fast stuff might make it easy for Rangers’ batters to sit on the heaters, which O’s pitching coach Vhris Holt will need to be wary of. Kremer allowed three runs to Texas in 6 ⅓ IP in a start in May.

Same game parlay:

Rangers to Win and Both Teams To Score 3+ Runs

Best bet:

Steer clear of the result, instead take the OVER at 9 runs. You’ll need to wager $115, but will win $100 if the teams combine for 9+ tallies in Game 3, which seems very likely.

Series odds:

Minnesota (-105), Houston (-115)

Game 3 odds:

Game 3 pitching matchup:

Cristian Javier (10-5, 4.56 ERA, 159 K in 162 IP) vs. Sonny Gray (1-0, 0.00 ERA, 6 K in 5 IP)

Minnesota’s Pablo López manhandled the Astros in Game 2. He was so dominant, that Dusty Baker might want to spur his team to win the next two games just so they won’t face López again in a Game 5 on Friday back in Houston.

Houston has its own shutdown stopper on the mound for Game 3: Cristian Javier. In his only two postseason starts, Javier has pitched 11 ⅓ innings and allowed one hit. Yes, one hit. In 32 ⅔ postseason innings, the righty has allowed 14 hits while striking out 48. That’s Sandy Koufax, Pedro Martinez type dominance. If he’s on his game on Tuesday, it will be a long, swing-and-miss night for the Twins.

The Astros know Sonny Gray well. The Minnesota righthander pitched well in two starts against the ‘Stros this season (4 ER in 13 IP). In one of his outings against Houston, back in April, Gray struck out 13 batters. That will be in the back of the mind of the Astros hitters. But, there are many dangerous bats in that group. Yordan Alvarez continues his postseason legendary three homers in two games. He’s bound to be important in Game 3 if Gray and the Twins even pitch to him.

Same game parlay picks:

We’ll try to get back on the winning side after dropping both of our parlays in Game 2 of the ALDS. We’re currently +950 overall on our MLB Playoff bets.

Sonny Gray OVER 4.5 Strikeouts
José Abreu To Hit a Home Run
Yordan Alvarez OVER 0.5 Walks

Odds are +2723 on this SGP from BetMGM Sports Betting site.

Best bet:

Think you know Lions football? Play the MLive.com Prop Bet Showdown for a chance to win prizes!

Sidelines Group provides MLive with original sports betting, lottery and casino content including odds, analysis, predictions and reviews to educate bettors. Please bet responsibly.

If you have a gambling problem and are located in Michigan, call 1-800-GAMBLER or 1-800-270-7117 or you can visit the Michigan Gaming Control Board’s website at https://www.michigan.gov/mgcb.