Steve Starr
- Bovada‘s updated odds have the Astros (+240) and Rays (+240) as co-favorites to win the American League Pennant
- Fresh off a 13-game winning streak, the Yankees (+400) are looking to make their first World Series appearance since 2009
- The White Sox (+290) have a losing record against teams that are .500 or better this season
What more can you say about the Rays? Expected to take a step back after cutting Charlie Morton and Blake Snell loose in the offseason, Tampa Bay caught fire in May, using a 22-5 record to take a stranglehold of the AL East.
When their ace Tyler Glasnow went down in June and the Red Sox made up ground in the division, skeptics surfaced again, but here they are with the best record in the American League as we enter the home stretch of the MLB season.
Winners of 10 of 11 games entering Sunday’s action, Kevin Cash’s club is co-favored to return to the World Series for the second-consecutive year after falling to the Dodgers in six games in 2020. Let’s take a look at the odds and remember to refer to our MLB 2021 betting guide for further baseball betting tips and advice.
AL Pennant Winner
 |
|
| Houston Astros | +240 |
| Tampa Bay Rays | +240 |
| Chicago White Sox | +290 |
| New York Yankees | +400 |
| Boston Red Sox | +1100 |
| Oakland Athletics | +2000 |
| Seattle Mariners | +2500 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | +3300 |
Astros or Rays?
Get Brad Pitt on the phone for Moneyball 2. After jettisoning starting pitchers Snell and Morton and losing Glasnow to injury, Tampa Bay (+240) has done away with a traditional five-man rotation for a bullpen-heavy approach. How heavy? Going into the weekend, there were 93 pitchers in the majors with at least 100 innings pitched and only one belonged to the Rays.
Will depth and versatility be enough to win in October against an Astros (+240) club that’s won seven of their past nine games to take a commanding lead of the AL West? A well-balanced team, Houston has the second-best ERA (3.48) in baseball and the MLB’s highest-scoring offense. They’ll also be looking for revenge after losing Game 7 of the ALCS to Tampa last year.
Yankees red hot in August
Before losing to Oakland (+2000) on Saturday, the Yankees (+400) had a 13-game winning streak, which was tied for the longest in baseball this season and the franchise’s longest unbeaten run since 1961. Gerrit Cole has allowed one run total in three starts since returning from the COVID-19 list and New York’s starting rotation is among the major league leaders in ERA (5th), WHIP (5th), strikeout rate (5th) and WAR (4th) in August.
With beefy batters like Drew Stanton, Joey Gallo, Aaron Judge, Anthony Rizzo and Luke Voit leading the way, the Bronx Bombers have also scored the second most runs (140) in the majors this month. But there is a sizeable fly in the ointment here. The Yankees are still five games back of the Rays, so they’ll have to defeat their bitter rivals in Boston (+1100) in a one game elimination playoff just to advance to the ALDS.
Make it a baker's dozen!
The @Yankees have a 13-game winning streak for the first time in 60 years. pic.twitter.com/hsZRzkYiLX
— MLB (@MLB) August 28, 2021
Despite being ten games up in the AL Central with 75 victories on the season, Tony LaRussa’s White Sox (+290) are amazingly just 21-26 versus teams at .500 or better. However, Chicago should be healthier than they have been all season come October.
The American League playoffs will be fascinating.
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