- The Championship Series of both MLB Leagues will be in action Monday, with the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers beginning their series, while the Tampa Bay Rays and Houston Astros play Game 2.
- The Dodgers get the odds to win Game 1 as a -142 favorite over the Braves.
- The Rays are favored to go up 2-0 on the Astros, getting -127 moneyline odds via online sportsbooks.
LAS VEGAS – The MLB Playoffs have now widdled down to just four teams, all in quest of the 2020 World Series Championship.
The NLDS and ALDS will both be in action Monday, with all games taking place in neutral sites with no fans in attendance.
The Tampa Bay Rays and Houston Astros will face off in their second game of the series, while the Atlanta Braves open their challenge against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
There will be tons more MLB betting opportunities to be had throughout these championship series’, with odds and lines available via the online sportsbooks.
Betting The Rays And Astros
The Rays were able to get the win in the first meeting of this series, and are the betting favorites heading into Game 2.
ALCS – TB Leads 1-0 – Game 2 – 4:07 p.m. EST
- Houston Astros +107
- Tampa Bay Rays -127
- O/U: 8.0
The Rays will put the ball in the hands of Charlie Morton, who has been consistently great so far this season and in the playoffs. In his last three starts, Morton has given up only five earned runs across 15 innings.
Morton will face off against Lance McCullers for Houston, who will attempt to quell this Tampa Bay offense that has been so dominant throughout this postseason.
If McCullers can’t control the bombs from the likes of Ji-Man Choi, and the hottest sensation in baseball Randy Arozarena, then Houston could easily find themselves in a two-game hole.
Betting The Braves And The Dodgers
Over in the National League, two historic franchises are ready to get things started in their seven-game series.
The Atlanta Braves and the Los Angeles Dodgers will meet in Arlington, Texas to decide who makes it to the World Series. Game 1 begins Monday night in primetime, with baseball oddsmakers giving LA the edge.
NLCS – Game 1 – 8:08 p.m. EST
- Atlanta Braves +120
- Los Angeles Dodgers -140
- O/U: 8.0
The Dodgers and the Braves were two of the best teams in the NL this season, with many expecting them to meet in the championship series.
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These teams previously met in the playoffs a few years ago, where the Dodgers won 3-1. The series was disappointing for Atlanta but is remembered by Ronald Acuna Jr.’s grand slam to earn the Braves only win.
Ronald Acuña Jr. with the grand slam
He's the youngest player in postseason history with a grand slam, at 20 years, 293 days old. pic.twitter.com/kLDD9nDAL3
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 8, 2018
Now that the truth has come to fruition, it will be a battle of two of the best batting lineups in baseball against two different pitching staffs with very different strengths.
The Braves have only three real starting pitchers due to a series of injuries and bad luck. Max Fried, Ian Anderson, and Kyle Wright are the only real serviceable arms Atlanta currently has to start games.
This is counteracted by the Atlanta bullpen, which has been nothing short of spectacular in the playoffs and during the regular season. They will now have the challenge of controlling the Dodgers lineup, which has been able to decimate everyone in their path so far.
The series will be defined by these early games, and most notably by which pitcher is able to step up to shut down the other team.
Either way, it should be an incredible addition to this unique baseball season.
Jimmy Reinman honed his skills across various mediums including print, radio, and broadcast before bringing his arsenal of knowledge to the team here at USAOnlineSportsbooks in 2020. When he’s not writing, you can find him in a state of focused stress on any College Football Saturday, or maniacally constructing NBA parlays on a cool spring evening.
