It would have seemed ludicrous at the time that they were considered the consensus World Series favorites, but the Boston Red Sox will not be in the American League postseason in 2011. Thanks to one of the most improbable sports betting comebacks in the history of the sport, the Tampa Bay Rays made it in ahead of Boston, and will now have the even tougher challenge of rallying against the defending AL champion Texas Rangers. Game three in that series will be played Monday back in Tampa Bay, where that final day of the regular season was carried out last Wednesday, while game thee between the New York Yankees and Detroit Tigers will also go Monday.
Texas Rangers @ Tampa Bay Rays
Monday, 5:07 PM ET
The biggest handicap that the Rays faced heading in to this MLB betting series was the fact that needing a win in each of the final few days before the end of the regular season did not allow them to set up their starting rotation to be ready for the ALDS. That included All Star David Price getting the call in the finale against the Yankees, which meant that he would have to wait until this game three to have a chance to start. Tampa Bay was forced to go with rookie Matt Moore and James Shields though the first two contests, but will finally get their ace on the mound in hopes that they can take this one at home. The Rangers have been among the most consistent teams all season and have power in every aspect of the game, so the Rays need to capitalize on intangibles such as momentum if they are going to overcome once again. Tampa Bay has no business winning this series, but the same could have been said about them even getting in ahead of Boston.
MLB Betting Free Pick: Tampa Bay Rays
New York Yankees @ Detroit Tigers
Monday, 8:37 PM ET
The Tigers will return home knowing exactly what they need to do to close out this series, and it continues with Max Scherzer on the mound against the veteran Freddy Garcia. If there is one MLB betting bonus area of this series where Detroit is projected to have the edge, it is the depth in the starting rotation, and they will need to take advantage of that here. Scherzer finished the regular season with a 15-9 record and 4.43 ERA, and he allowed more than four runs only twice over the final two months. He will need to bring his best stuff to the park on Monday to hold off a powerful Yankees’ offense, and prevent the veteran Garcia from stealing one on the road. Garcia and Bartolo Colon were two key signings for New York in the offseason that have really panned out better than expected, and if he can steal one here in this position, it will go a long way for the Yankees not only in this series but in the longer run.
MLB Betting Free Pick: Detroit Tigers
