What To Bet For The Wild Card Round

The Major League Baseball playoffs are finally here and we have four series starting tomorrow with the best of three series. There is no travel in these series, and we had three Wild Card winners for the first time in baseball history. We also have two teams in each league with a bye (Orioles, Astros, Dodgers, and Braves). What do we think will happen in these series? How should we bet them? Well, I'm here to answer those questions for you.

Rangers vs. Rays

The Rangers have to travel to face the Rays. This is arguably the best series of all. The Rangers have one of the best offenses in baseball but have struggled to remain healthy on the pitching side of the game. The Rays started as the hottest team in baseball and eventually wore down to become the Wild Card winner rather than the division winner. It is a bit unfortunate as they had 99 wins and have to play an extra series where the Astros (90 wins) get the bye because they won a division. Still, in this game, the pitching edge has to be on the side of Tampa, even with the injuries they've dealt with. If you want to talk about the experience as well, that also goes to the Rays. But, the Rangers should have the better offense, especially without Wander Franco on the Rays. I don't have a bet that I love for this series and really wouldn't be surprised if the Rangers won the series. However, I do think the Rays win and win it 2-1 (you can bet that at +220 on DraftKings).

Twins vs. Blue Jays

Let me start by saying that of the two teams in this series, only one deserves to be in the MLB playoffs. The Twins do not deserve to be here. They have the least amount of wins of any division winner and only the Diamondbacks and Marlins have fewer wins (84 to the Twins 87). There is nothing about the Twins that I think will allow them to win this series. I don't think they have better pitching. They don't have better hitting. Maybe their fielding is a bit better, but their biggest edge is that they are playing at home. The Blue Jays can lineup their pitching pretty well against the Twins. If they want, they can have Kevin Gausman (the best pitcher in the series) and Yusei Kikuchi pitch in the series. I like Chris Bassitt and Jose Berrios as options for the Blue Jays as well. The Blue Jays lineup should be able to handle the Twins pitching with maybe the exception of Sonny Gray. I think Toronto coasts in this series (and I'm not even factoring in the Twins not winning a playoff game in their past 18 contests). I'm taking Toronto to win the series at +105 for 1.5 units.

TORONTO, ON - MAY 16: Kevin Gausman #34 of the Toronto Blue Jays delivers a pitch in the first inning against the New York Yankees at Rogers Centre on May 16, 2023 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)

Diamondbacks vs. Brewers

This is one of the series that I think probably has the closest matchups. I think the Diamondbacks have the better pitching, but it isn't a huge stretch. If we get a matchup of Corbin Burnes vs. Zac Gallen, that could be one of the best games of the year. The concern I have is that Gallen hasn't been great on the road this season so that could be the deciding factor. Merrill Kelly might be the third best pitcher in the series, so he might be able to win a game for the Diamondbacks. I do think Arizona has the better offense, but I'm not sure that the Brewers are that far away from the Diamondbacks. To be quite honest, anything we bet in this one is a gamble, but the value is on the Diamondbacks as they should be closer in price than what is listed.

Marlins vs. Phillies

Just like in the American League series, I think there is a clear winner in this one. The Phillies will take this with ease. It might've been more of a question with Sandy Alcantara in the fold, but he has been shut down for the remained of the season. The Phillies are able to line up Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola for Games 1 and 2. They should be able to win both of those. I will mention the Marlins did win the season series 7-6 so it was closer. The Phillies are also 2-4 over the six games they've had against the Marlins in Philadelphia. Perhaps I shouldn't be so quick to dismiss the Marlins. Wild Card teams tend to do well in the playoffs because they have to be playing well at the right time. The Phillies are a Wild Card team but they clinched pretty early in comparison. I will only put a sprinkle on this one on the Phillies winning the series 2-1 at +220.

I'll be back with daily plays as the series start tomorrow.

For more sports betting information and plays, follow David on Twitter: @futureprez2024