The first spots in the MLB championship series could be handed out on Saturday, when all 8 remaining World Series hopefuls are taking the field. In fact, elimination games in 3 of the 4 series are on the menu. The only exception is the ALDS between the New York Yankees and Cleveland Guardians, which is all tied up at 1-1.
Now it’s time to look ahead at what Saturday could have to offer. For this mega parlay we are going with 2 favorites on the run line and 1 underdog on the money line. Let’s break down each of the legs.
It’s no surprise that the Phillies took Game 2. They were starting Aaron Nola, while the Braves were basically playing a bullpen game since Spencer Strider had not pitched in almost a month. Now the roles are reversed, as Noah Syndergaard is kicking off a bullpen day for Philadelphia while Atlanta counters with Charlie Morton. Although Morton may not be an ace at this point in his career, he has a ton of postseason experience – including in elimination games. The Braves are reigning World Series champions and NL East champions for a reason. They are not going to go away without a fight.
Check out all of our MLB predictions
The Mariners find themselves with their backs to the wall as the series heads to Seattle. This series could very well be 1-1 if the Mariners hadn’t choked in Game 1, but they now have no room for error; one more loss would end their season. In a win-or-go-home game, the Mariners have elected to start rookie George Kirby. He was promoted from Triple-A in May and had a solid rookie campaign, as he posted a 3.39 ERA and 1.21 WHIP in 130.0 innings.
For the Astros, Lance McCullers Jr. suffered an injury in the 2021 postseason that even sidelined him for the majority of 2022. However, McCullers made his return in August and was excellent in his 8 starts, posting a 2.27 ERA in 47.2 innings. The right-hander should get more than enough run support from Yordan Alvarez and the rest of the gang.
Check out our full Astros vs Mariners predictions
As expected, the Guardians have been successful in the playoffs so far by way of run prevention as opposed to run production. They have only scored 5 runs in the first 2 games of this series and 8 runs in the 4 playoff games. Nonetheless, they swept the Rays and are 1-1 with the Yankees following 2 road games. They don’t need to light up the scoreboard to win games, having minimized the Yankees’ ability to manufacture runs. Triston McKenzie will start for Cleveland and Luis Severino will start for New York. McKenzie had a fantastic season and was great in his first start of the playoffs last week. He threw 6.0 scoreless innings, allowing just 2 hits with 8 strikeouts in a clinching game.
McKenzie is not afraid of the big moment and will be back at the friendly confines against an inconsistent Yankees lineup. In his lone start against the Yankees this season, McKenzie threw 7.0 scoreless innings – allowing just 1 hit. He is backed by a bullpen that has yet to allow a run in the playoffs. Game 3 is a good situation for Cleveland.
Check out our full Yankees vs Guardians predictions
Along with our MLB Futures picks, we offer expert MLB Picks, including our daily MLB Best Bets throughout the entire season.
