After a long 162 game season, the Major League Baseball playoffs are finally underway!
Actually, the playoffs technically started on Tuesday, as the NL Wild Card Game between the Milwaukee Brewers and Washington Nationals kicked things off.
In that contest, the Brewers coughed up a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the eighth, losing to the Nats 4-3 and giving ace Stephen Strasburg a rare postseason victory. However, the game will most likely be remembered for rookie Trent Grisham’s Bill Buckner moment in right field.
The AL Wild Card play-in went a little more smoothly on Wednesday, with the Tampa Bay Rays soundly – and non-controversially – beating the Oakland Athletics 5-1.
With the MLB postseason’s Division Series now set, Bovada and other online USA sportsbooks have World Series futures and series lines posted. Individual game odds are also available, with fresh lines published after each contest during the playoffs.
2019 MLB Division Series Odds
(via Bovada)
- St. Louis Cardinals (+115) vs. Atlanta Braves (-150)
- Washington Nationals (+185) vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (-250)
- Minnesota Twins (+180) vs. New York Yankees (-245)
- Tampa Bay Rays (+225) vs. Houston Astros (-310)
2019 World Series Odds
(via Bovada)
- Houston Astros +200
- Los Angeles Dodgers +275
- New York Yankees +425
- Atlanta Braves +1000
- St. Louis Cardinals +1000
- Washington Nationals +1000
- Minnesota Twins +1400
- Tampa Bay Rays +1400
The Houston Astros are the overall favorites to win the 2019 World Series, as they have been virtually all season long. And if they do, at least one Astros bettor will go down in history, as Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale has reportedly wagered over $3.5 million on Houston to bring home the title. Fortunately, playing the Tampa Bay Rays in the ALDS should be the equivalent of a tune-up series before the Stros punch their ticket to the ALCS.
The Baby Bombers, who were second in the league with 306 home runs, are similarly second on the odds boards. Interestingly, the New York Yankees are matched up against the Minnesota Twins, who set the all-time record for home runs this year with 307. Of the first-round games, this one promises to have the most fireworks.
The Atlanta Braves were strong all season, and they’ll play the St. Louis Cardinals, who had a great September and – together with the Brewers – crushed the NL Central favorite Cubs down the stretch, eliminating them from playoff contention (and getting their manager fired in the process). As such, the Cards have the most momentum of the October teams left standing.
Meanwhile, the 106-win Los Angeles Dodgers should make relatively quick work out of the 93-win Nationals, though the latter club is riding high after snatching victory from the jaws of defeat on Tuesday night.
All in all, the 2019 MLB Playoffs have some compelling storylines and should be an excellent postseason for fans and baseball betting enthusiasts alike.
If you think you know who’s going to win it all this year, step up to the plate!