There are just two weeks to go until the MLB post-season rolls into action and there are still plenty of playoff places up for grabs.
Here, we take a brief look at who will be looking to book their place in the October showdowns and have some bets to follow in Tuesday’s matches.
Still All to Play for in Playoff Chase
Three teams have booked their playoffs places and two come in the same division as National League West rivals San Francisco and Los Angeles Dodgers have an excellent chance of posting 100 wins this year.
However, one of them will have to be content with a wildcard spot, which will be a one-off sudden death clash with another NL rival.
With both wanting to avoid that at all costs, the Giants will be desperate to hold onto their one-game advantage, so we can expect the pair to be heavily motivated for the remaining two weeks of the regular season.
Is the next World Series winner somewhere on here?
(MLB x @HankookTireUSA) pic.twitter.com/jJBbBj8FZW
— MLB (@MLB) September 20, 2021
The Milwaukee Brewers have booked their spot too and Tampa Bay and the Chicago White Sox are on the verge of ensuring they go to the party, but the wildcard races in both leagues are fascinating.
While only one spot is up for grabs in the National League, it is the St Louis Cardinals who are grabbing all the attention. They are three games ahead of Cincinnati after they posted their ninth successive win on Monday, but San Diego and Philadelphia are both in close attendance.
The American League tussle is also fascinating as the Boston Red Sox and Toronto are locked together, but the New York Yankees, Oakland and Seattle are all within four games, so it looks like that could go all the way too.
Toronto Look Strong Against Tampa Bay
The Blue Jays need to keep the Red Sox in their sights and they have a good chance of doing that against the Rays, even though Tampa Bay are strongly fancied to be in the post-season.
Toronto have one of the best offences in the game and rookie Alex Manoah looks strong on the mound.
Marcus Semien's 41st (!!!) homer
pic.twitter.com/mmz4TItma0
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) September 21, 2021
The Blue Jays have won 13 of their 17 starts and they were excellent in the last game against Tampa, giving up just one hit and no runs in eight completed innings.
It looks worth taking on the Canadian outfit to win this showdown.
In the early game, Detroit offer some great value against the Chicago White Sox.
The Tigers have recovered from a bad start to the season and have won six of their last eight matches, including the opener to this series.
The White Sox have lost more games than they have won in the last month and they look vulnerable with Dallas Keuchel on the mound, who has given up five earned runs in four of his last five appearances.
Detroit can be backed at 7/5 and that looks a fair price.
*All odds correct at time of writing
