Playoff baseball continues with the ALDS. The A’s take on the Astros and the Rays take on the Yankees. It’s important to keep in mind that all games are played at neutral sites and the best of 5 series will be played on consecutive days. The A’s and Rays will be the home teams for games 1 & 2. Games 3 & 4 (if necessary) will have the Astros and Yankees as the home teams. Game 5 (if necessary) will go back to the A’s and Rays for the home team advantage.
So let's get right to it and break down each matchup. Our #HomeRunLine is below with series analysis, so step up to the plate and get #InTheMoney!!!
Houston Astros vs. Oakland Athletics
Oakland Athletics -135
The A’s and Astros played 10 games this season with the A’s winning the series 7-3. All 3 of the Astros' wins came in 7 inning games. With the playoffs being 9 inning games, the A’s will have the advantage. The Oakland offense outscored Houston 38 - 25 during the 10 games even though, statistically, Houston outranks Oakland in almost every offensive category. Oakland only has the advantage in walks (+46) and HRs (+2). On the other side of the ball, Oakland outperformed Houston in every category except strikeouts (+20). So, will the Houston offense be able to outperform Oakland's pitching? Based on the regular-season record, the answer is no. Now, this is the playoffs, so it’s a whole new ballgame, so time will tell. With the A’s confidence soaring after taking out the White Sox - and the opportunity to get back at the cheating Astros - look for the consistency of Oakland to prevail. Also, look for the series to go 4 or 5 games. We are playing Oakland to win the series -135.
New York Yankees vs. Tampa Bay Rays
New York Yankees -135
The Rays and Yankees faced each other 10 games this season, with the Rays wining the series 8 games to 2. During these 10 games, the Rays outscored the Yankees 47 - 34. As for the numbers, the Yankees offense is +26 in runs scored, +14 in HRs, +27 in RBIs, and +9 in batting average. On the other side, the Rays pitching is -79 in ERA, -41 in runs allowed, -13 in HRs allowed, and +24 in strikeouts. Like the other series, the Rays have the pitching advantage and the Yankees have the hitting advantage. So, does the Yankees offense beat the Rays pitching? In this case, it very well could. In the first round, the Yankees scored 22 runs and gave up 11 against the Indians. The Rays gave up 3 runs while only putting up 11 against the Blue Jays. The Yankees offense looked to be healthy again as they hit 7 home runs in 2 games with the Indians. The Rays pitching gave up 2 solo shots against the very capable Blue Jays. This series promises to be much closer than either first round, but the Yankees should take the series. Don’t be surprised if it goes to game 4 or 5 as well. We are playing the New York to win the series -135.
Hit us up @TTSportsLines and let us know what you think!
-TSL
/ As always, please forgive any typos and grammatical errors
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