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After a long season it now comes down to this; a seven game series to decide the 2010 Major League Baseball World Champions between Cliff Lee and the Texas Rangers and Tim Lincecum and the San Francisco Giants.

The Rangers, on the back of Lee’s amazing postseason display so far come into the series as the 4/6 favourites. They defeated the Rays in the ALDS on the back of some amazing pitching by Cliff Lee and with some timely hitting especially in Tampa. The ALCS brought up the reigning World Champions, the New York Yankees and this time the Rangers disposed of them in a somewhat comfortable fashion.

Again Cliff Lee pitched superbly, as did the other Rangers pitchers but the main reason for Texas’s success was New York’s lack of firepower. The Rangers on the other hand have been hitting very well in the postseason. Texas has hit seventeen home runs in the postseason so far and has a batting average of .281, the best of all the postseason teams. While pitching provides the foundation, you can’t win the World Series without hitting and the Rangers are hitting very well.

The San Francisco Giants, on the other hand, have not been hitting the ball especially well and have advanced on the back of good pitching and the fact that the Phillies and Braves couldn’t hit at all. The Giants have a .231 batting average in the postseason and only six home runs in ten games. The Giants will rely on Lincecum, Cain, Sanchez and their excellent bullpen to keep the Rangers quite but they will need to improve their hitting if they are going to win it all.

The Giants are 6/5 to win the World Series and while to can see them taking a game or two you have to wonder if they will be able to hit Lewis or Wilson consistently or if they can hit Cliff Lee at all. Lincecum, Cain and Sanchez have proved that while they can be lights out it’s not a sure thing.

The Rangers have a good blend of strong starting pitching, depth in the bullpen and bats that can explode at any moment. Texas to win the series 4-2 at 4/1 looks good while the likeliest Giants victory would appear to be 4-3, correctly priced at 5/1.

The American League Championship Series gets underway in Arlington on Friday as the reigning World Champion New York Yankees take on the Texas Rangers for the American League Pennant.

Following their dominate win over the Minnesota Twins in the Divisional Series, the New York Yankees come to Arlington fully refreshed and ready to go. All their pitchers are fully rested and as usual Joe Girardi will begin the series with ace CC Sabathia on the mound. Sabathia was good but not great last time up against the Twins giving up three earned runs in six innings but he was good against the Rangers earlier this season and can certainly be counted on by New York.

Youngster Phil Hughes will take the mound for Game Two on Saturday and will be hoping to repeat his performance from the Divisional Series. Hughes gave up four hits over seven scoreless innings but this will be his first start of the season against the Rangers so it will be interesting to see how he handles the park in Arlington. Game Three will be started by the ever reliable Andy Pettitte who seemed back on top form when he pitched in Minnesota.

The biggest question in the Yankee rotation is AJ Burnett, who is slated to start Game Four. Burnett certainly has the ability to beat any team but he has had a difficult season although he was effective against the Rangers this season. Burnett started three games against Texas with a 1-0 record and en ERA of 2.50. If he can repeat that performance when the two teams meet in the Bronx then New York should be on the way to another World Series.

As far as hitting goes the Yankees have a postseason best .314 batting average although that was in only three games one of which was a blow out. They are also extremely good in the field and didn’t commit a single error in the series against the Twins. New York is rightly fancied as favourites and can be backed at 4/7 to retain the American League Pennant.

Now while New York should be favoured, the Texas Rangers should not be completely dismissed. Cliff Lee is one of the top five pitchers in baseball at the moment and his completely dominating performance against the Rays in Game One and Five of the Divisional Series will be something that the Yankees will fear. Lee also has two wins against the Yankees in last season’s World Series with one complete game and an ERA of 2.81.

Lee is not the only Texas pitcher who has been on form this postseason; CJ Wilson was very good in his start against the Rays and he will take the mound against Sabathia in Game One. Wilson pitched 6 1/3 scoreless innings in Tropicana Field although the Rays were extremely disappointing with the bat in hand. He should find tougher resistance when he faces the Yankess in Arlington.

The Texas rotation is rounded out with Colby Lewis who pitched five scoreless against the Rays in Game Three in Arlington and Tommy Hunter who was not so good. The Hunter – Burnett matchup in New York for Game Four could be the deciding factor with a possible 3-1 lead coming out of that game. With CC following AJ on Game Five that is a situation the Yankees will be looking to arrive at.

The Rangers hit .253 against the Rays in the Divisional Series and will be looking to improve on that against the Yankees and they will certainly need to improve their fielding. Texas committed five errors in the five games against Tampa Bay.

Any team that has Cliff Lee has to be respected and while he may win his two games I’m not sure about the rest of the rotation. The Yankees appear to be locked in at the moment as they get big hits when needed and great pitching all-round. New York are available at 3/1 to win the series 4-2 or 5/1 for a 4-1 win.

After 162 games the field has been reduced to eight. Eight teams with the dream of winning the World Championship. Who will prevail?

American League Divisional Series

Texas Rangers vs Tampa Bay Rays

It’s the west against the east as the Texas Rangers take on the Tampa Bay Rays with Tampa holding the home field advantage which could prove important if the regular season is anything to go by. The Rays swept the Rangers in their three game series at Tropicana Field in August while they took one of the three in Arlington.

From a pitching point of view the advantage has to go to the Rays with Cliff Lee being the only Rangers pitcher to truly fear. Lee will take the ball in the first game, against Rays ace David Price. Game two starter for Texas is CJ Wilson who was lit up for 5 runs in six innings in his only outing against the Rays this season. The rest of the starting rotations certainly go in Tampa’s favour as does the bullpen although it probably a push when looking at the closers.

Offensively both teams can hit although the health of Josh Hamilton is a concern for Texas as he recovers a couple of fractured ribs. There’s not a lot between this two teams but the advantage would go to Tampa Bay.

Series Betting

Texas Rangers 13/10

Tampa Bay Rays 8/13

World Series Odds

Tampa Bay Rays 10/3

Texas Rangers 14/1

American League Pennant Odds

Tampa Bay Rays 15/8

Texas Rangers 5/1

New York Yankees vs Minnesota Twins

What would October be without the Twins against Yankees, although this season it’s the Twins that hold home field advantage. This could be Minnesota’s best chance to beat New York in the playoffs with the Yankees struggling with their rotation.

CC.Sabathia will be the game one starter for New York and is the only pitcher that the Yankees can have any confidence in. Andy Pettitte is recovering from injury; A.J. Burnett (set to start game four) has struggled while youngster Phil Hughes has never pitched this much before. Meanwhile for the Twins, while their rotation is hardly world beating they are very good and steady and pitching well. Liriano will take on Sabathia in game one and if the Twins can get off to a winning start this the Championship Series will be a real possibility.

Offensively the Yankees still have a ton of weapons although a lot of them are a year older. They will need A-Rod, Texeira, Jeter and the other veterans to step up to support what could be some weak pitching performances. For the Twins the loss of Morneau is something that they’ve dealt with for the last few months while talisman Joe Mauer should be fit and ready to go. The Twins have been hitting well all season and certainly have the players to take advantage of any chances the Yankees may provide.

Series Betting

Minnesota Twins 6/4

New York Yankees 8/15

World Series Odds

Minnesota Twins 9/1

New York Yankees 7/2

American League Pennant Odds

Minnesota Twins 10/3

New York Yankees 6/4

National League Divisional Series

Cincinnati Reds vs Philadelphia Phillies

In the opinion of many the Phillies are the undisputed favourites to go all the way to the World Series and win it all. When you look at their team you can see why. Their starting pitching is outstanding with their three aces, Halladay, Hamels and Oswalt providing a match for any team while their bullpen has greatly improved as the season has gone on.

Their hitting has also improved as the season has progressed. In June Philadelphia posted a batting average of .257 while in September they were first in the Majors with a BA of .286. All the pieces fell into place in September as the team went 21-6 and moved from second in the NL East to the best record in baseball.

While the Reds are to be commended for the wonderful season they have had it’s difficult to see them getting past the Phillies. Their pitching is good but not nearly as good as Philadelphia’s while you have to wonder if their young line-up will be able to take on Philadelphia’s strong pitching rotation. Unfortunately this looks like the most one-sided tie of the first round.

Series Betting

Cincinnati Reds 12/5

Philadelphia Phillies 1/3

World Series Odds

Cincinnati Reds 14/1

Philadelphia Phillies 5/2

National League Pennant

Cincinnati Reds 11/2

Philadelphia Phillies 4/5

Atlanta Braves vs San Francisco Giants

The two teams that got into the playoffs on the final day go head-to-head beginning on Friday as the Braves go looking for their first World Series since 1995 and the Giants look for their first since 1954.

This match up more than any other will be a pitching battle as both these teams do struggle to score runs. The Giants probably have the advantage when you consider the pitching rotation with Lincecum, Cain and Sanchez edging out Hudson, Lowe and Hanson. An additional point of concern for the Braves is the fact that their best pitcher, Tim Hudson is unlikely to pitch in two of the games given that he started Sunday’s vital match against Philadelphia.

As stated earlier both teams did struggle a bit to score runs this season but the Giants do come into this series in a little better form in the hitting department than the Braves. The Giants had an OPS .697 in September compared to Atlanta’s .678.

While you’d love to see the Braves go all the way in Bobby Cox’s last season it’s difficult to see them overcome all their injuries and San Francisco’s great pitching.

Series Betting

Atlanta Braves 13/10

San Francisco Giants 8/13

World Series Odds

Atlanta Braves 16/1

San Francisco Giants 10/1

National League Pennant

Atlanta Braves 6/1

San Francisco Giants 3/1

Live Major League Baseball on Tuesday night comes from the American League East as the best two teams in the game go head-to-head. After a sensational game on Monday night, it’s round two of Tampa Bay – New York.

New York Yankees (87-57) @ Tampa Bay Rays (87-56)

While both teams are almost certain of reaching the playoffs (Boston are 7 games back in the wildcard race) the battle for the AL East could come right down to the wire. Monday night’s game between Sabathia and Price was a perfect demonstration of how close these two teams are with Tampa coming out on top in that occasion thanks to an 11^th inning home run. The Yankees did come into this series struggling by their high standards and they are now 3-7 in their last ten games and losers of 4 in a row.

In an attempt to break the slide the Yankees send rookie pitcher Ivan Nova to the mound tonight. Nova is 1-0 in six games (4 starts) with a 2.92 ERA this season and will be making his first career start against the Rays. It’s worth noting that Nova has an ERA of 2.08 on the road this season although that is in an extremely limited sample size of 13 innings. While playing a rookie pitcher may not be ideal for the Yankees it’s also worth noting that the Yankees offensive has also struggled recently. New York have an OPS of .687 in the month of September compared to a season OPS of .790 which is second best in the league. Both the pitching and the offense will need to step up if the Yankees are going to wrestle back the AL East lead tonight.

Taking the mound for the current AL East leaders tonight is Matt Garza. Garza has been a consistent pitcher this season for the Rays, going 14-8 with a 3.68 ERA and he has also been a consistent pitcher against the Yankees, 1-3 with a 3.49 ERA. While he recent form has been exceptional (1.27 ERA in the month of August), he was lit up in his last outing against the Red Sox, allowing 6 earned runs in 4 1/3 innings. This is Garza’s second outing against the Yankees this season. His first game, also at home, was a decent if unspectacular affair where he allowed 4 earned in 7 innings while striking out nine. While Garza certainly has enough to contain the Yankees, especially as they struggle offensively, the Rays offense has been on fire in the month of September. In eleven games this month Tampa have an OPS of .834, a marked improvement on their season OPS of .745 and they will certainly be aiming to continue that against New York’s rookie pitcher.

Tampa Bay are 8/13 favourites for tonight’s game and you’d have to fancy them considering the pitchers involved. The totals runs market is set at under / over 9 runs so it’s worth noting that in twelve games this season, nine of them have had at least 9 runs although the last two games had a combined total of four as the pitchers took over.

Also tonight…

-         Francisco Liriano and the Twins look to put more space between them and the White Sox as they visit Chicago tonight. The 5/6 on the Twins looks like the bet here.

-         The New York Mets send knuckleballer RA Dickey to the mound tonight as they host the Washington Nationals. The 4/9 on the Mets is a little small but you certainly have to fancy them to get the win.

Primetime baseball on Monday evening comes from Kansas City as the Royals, already planning for next season take on the Oakland Athletics, who still believe they are in with a chance of catching the Texas Rangers.

Oakland Athletics (71-71) @ Kansas City Royals (58-84)

As we reach the mid-way point of September the Oakland Athletics find themselves 8 ½ games behind the Texas Rangers, who have struggled since the beginning of August. While the Athletics still think they have a chance of a playoff berth, their chance has probably already passed and sending out a rookie pitcher for his Major League debut tonight indicates as much.

Bobby Cramer has been given the call up following his impressive season in the minor leagues this season. Cramer is 15-5 in 27 starts in the minors with most of the starts coming at the AA level. He was most recently at the Sacremento River Cats in the Pacific Coats League where he had an ERA of 1.94 in seven starts. While the ERA is impressive, his WHIP of 1.24 and opponents average of .252 are more worrying especially as the quality of hitter will obviously be better at the top level.

The Kansas City Royals send former first overall draft pick Luke Hochevar to the mound as they look to test out some of their young players for next season. Hochevar has not been especially effective this season going 5-4 with a 5.11 ERA and Oakland is an especially bad match-up for him historically. He is 0-4 with an 11.37 ERA in his career against the Athletics which doesn’t exactly instil confidence. This will be Hochevar’s first outing against the A’s this year and the Royal’s will certainly be pleased that the game is coming at home. The right hander has a 3.59 ERA at home and a 6.81 ERA on the road but incredibly is 1-3 at home and 4-1 away. The problem for any pitcher with the Royals is that their offensive is very hit and miss while the bullpen, outside of closer Soria, leaves a lot to be desired.

Given that the two teams don’t exactly have much to play for and that one pitcher is a rookie this is an extremely difficult game to take an opinion on. The A’s are available at 4/5 for the win while the Royals can be backed at 10/11.

Also tonight…

-         Rookie pitcher Dillon Gee gets his second start as the Mets visit the Pirates. Gee was very good in his first outing, pitching seven strong innings and only giving up one earned run. 8/15 is a little on the small side for the Mets but they certainly seem the way to go.

-         Derek Lowe returns from injury for the Atlanta Braves as they host the Washington Nationals. The Braves are 1/2 to keep the pressure on the Phillies.

It’s Labor Day in the US which means a full schedule of Major League action including an early afternoon clash at the Rogers Centre in Toronto as the Blue Jays host the AL West leading Texas Rangers.

Texas Rangers (75-61) @ Toronto Blue Jays (70-66)

The Texas Rangers are so far ahead in the American League West that you can be forgiven into thinking that their recent struggles are merely a case of them coasting into the playoffs. While that may be the reason for resting players here and there the Rangers do need to maintain some form if they are going to have any chance of defeating the American League East opponent that awaits them in early October. Injuries to star pitcher Cliff Lee and star outfielder Josh Hamilton have not helped matters but neither have the team’s recent struggles. The Rangers are 3-7 in their last ten games and were only 13-15 in the month of August. They are currently in the middle of a ten game road trip that started well enough with wins in Kansas but has since turned sour as they were swept in a three game series in Minnesota over the weekend.

Looking to stop the rot for the Rangers today is arguably their pitcher of the season, Tommy Hunter. Hunter has had a strong season and is currently 12-2 with a 3.64 ERA, which is a career high in both wins and ERA. In his last three outings he has not allowed more than three earned runs in any game and has managed to pitch at least 7 2/3 innings in two of the three starts. One negative when considering Hunter’s start today is that he is noticeably worse away from Arlington, posting a 3.16 ERA in nine starts at home and 4.29 ERA on the road. His career ERA against the Blue Jays is a scary 7.50 but this will be his first outing against them this season, which is by far the best year of his career.

As far as the Toronto Blue Jays are concerned you have to really feel for the Canadians. If they were in any other division they would be a lot closer to the top that the 15 ½ games that they currently trail the Yankees. The Blue Jays have been one of the best hitting teams in the Majors this season and in Jose Bautista they have a player who leads the League in home runs and may be the only player this year to reach the fifty homer mark.

Ricky Romero takes the mound at the Roger Centre this afternoon and he has been excellent at home this season. The left-hander is 5-3 with a 2.78 ERA at home this season, a record that includes a five hit shutout at home to the Rangers on May 15^th. In fact in two outings against Texas this season, Romero has allowed only one earned run in sixteen innings while also striking out twelve in that May shutout. Romero had an outstanding June posting a 2.12 ERA in five games but he did struggle in July with a 6.08 ERA although that is mainly due to one game against the Yankees where he was lit up. Romero has certainly shown that he can overcome what is a strong Rangers line-up but this is September where pitchers do get tired and Romero has pitched more this season than ever before so a shutout may be too much to expect.

These are two pitchers that have the ability to shut down any offense they face but it may be simply a case of which arm will tire first. The Blue Jays are available at 4/6 for the win while the Rangers can be backed at 11/10.

Also tonight…

-         Wandy Rodriguez looks good value at 8/11 to continue his fine second half when the Houston Astros visit the Chicago Cubs.

-         Matt Latos looks to end the Padres ten game losing streak when the Dodgers come to town. I like his chances and would take the 4/7 on San Diego.

Live Major League Baseball action comes to us early on Sunday as the Atlanta Braves look to maintain their lead at the top of the NL East when they finish a three-game series against the Marlins in Florida.

Atlanta Braves (79-57) @ Florida Marlins (68-66)

The Atlanta Braves have been at the top of the National League East for a large part of the season. As the Phillies struggled with their offense the Braves kept ticking along but at no point were they able to pull away from Philadelphia. Now as the Phillies have started to heat up (winners of their last five straight) the Braves have to look over their shoulder. Atlanta currently leads the East by one game, a record that is mainly due to their impressive 49-19 record at home. On the road things have not been going so well, Atlanta are eight games under 500, a statistic that will need to improve if they want to be there at the end of October.

Atlanta are currently 4-4 in the series against Marlins in games played in Florida so while they do have travel woes they have been able to maintain a .500 record against the Fish. On the mound for the Braves is a rookie pitcher who will be looking to go 4-0 after winning his last three starts. Mike Minor has had a good start to his major league career and has not given up more than three earned runs in any of his four starts so far. He has also struck out at least a batter an inning and even managed twelve strikeouts against the Cubs in Wrigley on August 22^nd. This is Minor’s first start against Florida and while his road ERA is slightly higher than his home average there is no reason to believe that he won’t give the Braves a good chance to win again today.

Facing Minor is another first-year pitcher, Alex Sanabia. Sanabia is 3-2 with a 3.98 ERA in ten games this season and he is certainly a pitcher who prefers to pitch at home. In three starts at home this season his ERA is 2.93 compared to 4.66 when starting away from Florida. This is Sanabia’s second outing against the Braves. In his first game, also at home, Sanabia only gave up one earned run but he did only last 4 1/3 innings. You’ll certainly expect him to go longer this time out and if he can emulate his early August performances then the Marlins will certainly have a chance. Sanabia has been inconsistent, which is to be expected of a rookie, but he certainly has the skill set to shut down the Braves today.

Simply put Atlanta have more to play for and Mike Minor is certainly a pitcher capable of stepping up to the task. The Braves are 4/5 for the win today while the Marlins are available at 10/11. The total runs market is currently set at 8 ½ so it’s worth noting that three of the last five games between these two teams (which have all taken place in the last two weeks) have had eight or fewer runs.

Also tonight…

-         The Chicago White Sox and Manny Ramirez look good value at 11/10 to take advantage of an inconsistent Josh Beckett when the two teams meet at Fenway Park.

-         The Tampa Bay Rays should continue their chase of the Yankees when they take on the Orioles in Baltimore. 8/15 on the Rays looks like the way to go.

Live primetime baseball on Wednesday evening comes from the American League as the AL East leading Tampa Bay Rays continue their west coast swing and finish up a three game series in California against the struggling Los Angeles Angels.

Tampa Bay Rays (78-48) @ Los Angeles Angels (62-65)

For the Tampa Bay Rays it’s all about preparing for the playoffs. They are currently tied with the Yankees at the top of the East with the best record in baseball and are six games ahead of the Boston Red Sox in the wildcard race. The Rays look set to return to the playoffs and they have more than enough quality to be serious contenders.

On the mound for the Rays will be Jeff Niemann who has been electric this season for Tampa. Niemann is 10-3 with a 3.12 ERA in twenty-two games but he has seen his ERA drop after the All-Star break. Since the All-Star game Niemann is 3-1 but his ERA is 4.81 compared with 2.77 before the break. This is Niemann’s second outing against the Angels this season; first time up he went 7 1/3 quality innings, giving up two earned and striking out four. One area of concern is that this is Niemann’s first game back from a DL stint where he was nursing a strained right shoulder, however the Tampa coaching staff are confident the right-hander has fully recovered and is ready to go against an Angels team that has a below average OPS of .723 in the month of August.

Taking the hill for the Angels has been one of this season’s biggest disappointments, Dan Haren. Haren, acquired from the Arizona Diamondbacks in a July trade, has not been his usual self this season, seeing his ERA drop from 3.14 last season to 4.55 this although it has improved slightly since his move to the Big A. August has not been a good month for Haren as he’s struggled to get any consistency; Haren is 1-2 in four starts in August with an ERA of 5.27 although one silver lining for the pitcher is his record at home since joining LA. In four starts Haren has an ERA of 2.93 but a lack of support, as the Angels have struggled offensively, has seen him post a 1-3 record.

You have to fancy Tampa Bay to continue their fine form tonight although you do have to worry a little about the returning Niemann and while Haren has been effective at home the Angels are struggling to score any runs while the Rays have more than enough offense at the disposal to beat anybody. Even money on Tampa to win looks a good bet on what are clearly the better team.

Also tonight…

-         The St.Louis Cardinals send Jake Westbrook to the mound tonight against the struggling Pirates. Westbrook has been a better pitcher since coming to St.Louis and the 4/7 on the Cardinals is the way to go.

-         Back to well today as the White Sox take on the Orioles once again. With ace Mark Buehrle on the mound the 8/15 on Chicago is the clear way to go.

The race for the play-offs continue this week with another live game on Tuesday night as the leaders of the AL West and AL Central go head-to-head when the Twins visit the Rangers.

Minnesota Twins (72-53) @ Texas Rangers (70-54)

After being one-hit last night the Minnesota Twins will be looking for a much stronger performance when they return to Arlington for game two of a three game series. The Minnesota Twins find themselves 4 ½ games clear of the White Sox at the top of the Central and have won seven of their last ten games. Last night’s one-hitter was a little out of the blue given the Twins good recent hitting; they are fifth in the league in OPS in the month of August.

Taking the mound for Minnesota tonight is Carl Pavano who has had an extremely effective season so far going 15-8 with a 3.52 ERA although he has regressed a little in his previous two outings. Pavano has given up twenty-five hits in 12 1/3 innings in his last two games although he did only walk one during that time frame. His last outing against the White Sox was especially bad has he allowed seven earned in six innings. However these have not been the norm as Pavano has proved invaluable to the Twins this season. This will be his second outing against the Rangers this season; in the first game he went seven innings giving up two earned as Minnesota scored the win. If Pavano can shake his previous outing there is no reason to think that the Twins can’t rebound from last night’s defeat.

As for the Texas Rangers they have Colby Lewis on the mound as they look to turn around what has not been the best month for them. Lewis has also had a great season although his win-loss record doesn’t really reflect how good he has been. Lewis is 9-10 with a 3.37 ERA this season and would have hoped for a better win total considering how good he’s pitched. In three of his last five starts Lewis has gone at least six innings and only given up one earned run. In his worst recent start Lewis went 6 2/3 innings and gave up four earned against the Baltimore Orioles which is hardly a disaster. When considering his season it is also worth noting that in ten home starts Lewis has a sub-three ERA and has a 59 to 22 strikeout to walk ratio. Lewis is pitching very well this season and if he maintains his form the Twins will struggle with the bat again.

Looking at the two pitchers involved this match has pitching battle written all over it. You’d have to side with Lewis and the Rangers, available at 4/6 for the win, only because you can’t be certain how Pavano’s last outing will affect him but he has had good stuff this season so it may simply come down to who make the last mistake. The total runs market is set at nine so it’s worth noting that two of the four matches between these two this season have had four runs or fewer while only one had more than nine. Under 9 runs at 10/11 seems the way to go in that market.

Also tonight…

-         The Baltimore Orioles are in Chicago for a date with the White Sox and Gavin Floyd. Floyd has been effective this season and has a career ERA of 2.54 against Baltimore. I fancy the White Sox at 8/15 in this one.

-         Ted Lilly has been electric in the month of August posting an ERA of 1.29 while going 4-0 for the Dodgers. Lilly takes on the Brewers tonight and I like the 4/6 about a Dodgers win.