Three of the four Division Series match-ups are set as the 2021 Major League Baseball season nears a conclusion with nine teams still in with a shot at World Series glory.
The Tampa Bay Rays went 100-62 to take the number one seed in the American League and will face the Boston Red Sox, who overcame the Yankees in Wednesday’s Wild-Card Game, for a place in the AL Championship Series. The Rays are 13/2 for the World Series.
The Los Angeles Dodgers must first win Wednesday’s National League Wild-Card Game against St Louis, but the champs are still 19/5 favourites to repeat their 2020 heroics.
If they defeat the Cardinals, LA will then have to take on National League number one seeds San Francisco, who pipped the Dodgers to the post by one game in the West thanks to a 107-55 record.
Red-Hot Rays Difficult for Red Sox to Stop
American League number one seeds Tampa Bay were the only team outside of the NL West to rack up a century of regular season wins. They are 5/8 favourites for their five-game series with the Red Sox, who are 7/5 to advance.
These teams are familiar foes, meeting 19 times in the regular season with the Rays claiming the spoils in 11 of those contests.
The Rays claimed the American League pennant in 2020 and, while World Series glory has remained elusive, they do boast a strong pitching roster with a combined 3.67 ERA, the best in the AL.
Tampa Bay are 4/7 to kick-off the series with a victory at Tropicana Field while Boston are 31/20 to gain the upper hand on Thursday.
Astros Favoured to See off White Sox
Also in the American League, the Houston Astros are 10/13 to claim a series win against the Chicago White Sox, who can be backed at 11/10.
Houston boasts one of the best offenses in MLB, scoring more runs than any other franchise in the regular season, although the Sox are not lacking in that area either.
Division Series tend to be won by solid pitching performances, however, and the Astros can look to Lance McCullers, Luis Garcia, Framber Valdez and Jose Urquidy, who have all had fine seasons.
Houston went 5-2 with the Sox in 2021 meetings and, as 2017 champions, also boast an experience advantage when it comes to the playoffs. The Astros are 20/29 with the White Sox 27/20 to take Thursday’s game one.
Brewers Too Strong for Braves
The National League Division Series starts when number two seeds the Milwaukee Brewers take on the Atlanta Braves.
These two met six times in the regular season, splitting the spoils 3-3, but the Brewers claimed 95 wins in the NL Central compared to the Braves’ 88-73 NL East season. As a result, Milwaukee are 20/29 to progress at the expense of the Braves, who are 5/4.
This looks a battle between offense and defense – Atlanta were the fourth-most productive offense in the National League by OPS while Milwaukee shined on the mound with a combined ERA which was bettered only by the Dodgers.
The Braves have won the National League pennant 17 times but have not reached the World Series since 1999. They are 5/4 to begin the series with a road win at American Family Field while the hosts are 20/27.
*All odds correct at time of writing.