Baseball Playoff Picks – Beckett will pitch Boston back into the ALDS
Most baseball playoff picks makers expected the Yankees and Red Sox to come one step closer to meeting in the ALCS after Game 1 of the ALDS. The Yankees held up their end of the bargain, beating Minnesota, but the Red Sox fell behind to the Angels in Game 1. What’s in store for AL East powerhouses in MLB betting tonight?
Baseball playoff picks: Twins are overmatched, Red Sox aren’t
- A.J. Burnett has a 4.96 ERA with Posada catching, 3.28 ERA with Molina
- Right-handed hitters bat .208 off Jered Weaver this season
- Josh Beckett is 7-2 with a 2.90 ERA in the playoffs
Tonight, 6:07 p.m. ET
Twins vs Yankees odds: Yankees -300
Nick Blackburn (11-11, 4.03) vs A.J. Burnett (13-9, 4.04)
The Twins quickly have their backs to the wall in a short series after losing Game 1. Is Nick Blackburn the man to even the series? He certainly finished the regular season strongly, allowing two or fewer runs against Cleveland, Chicago, Detroit and Kansas City.
It’s important to remember, though, that a playoff start in Yankee Stadium is a different beast. Blackburn is prone to the gopher ball and Mark Teixeira terrorizes him, batting 1.000 (6/6) with a homer and five RBI.
Worse yet for the Twinkies, A.J. Burnett is grooving since Jose Molina became his personal catcher. He went 3-1 with a 2.92 ERA in his last six starts. He can handle a Minnesota lineup that lacks depth.
Twins vs Yankees betting edge: Yankees
Tonight, 9:37 p.m. ET
Red Sox vs Angels odds: Angels -113
Josh Beckett (17-6, 3.86) vs Jered Weaver (16-8, 3.75)
Can the Red Sox find their offense after John Lackey stymied them in Game 1? Jered Weaver certainly has their number this season, going 1-0 with 12 strikeouts and one earned run in 13.2 innings. He’s also 9-3 at home and he’s very tough on righties, holding them to a .208 average. That’s bad news for Dustin Pedroia, Jason Bay, Mike Lowell and Kevin Youkilis.
The regular-season numbers don’t favor Josh Beckett, who had a 4.53 ERA after the All-Star break this season. However, if you’ve followed his playoff career, you know he’s one of the best clutch pitchers in the game. He’s 7-2 with a 2.90 ERA in the postseason with three complete-game shutouts, including one in the World Series at Yankee Stadium. Game 2 is essentially a must-win for Boston; bet against Beckett at your own risk. Whatever happens, this should be an extremely low-scoring game.
Red Sox vs Angels betting edge: Red Sox
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Dale Lalonde is BetOnline.com's MLB expert.
