Recommended Bets
Back Toronto
Back New York Yankees @ 1.824/5
Back Tampa Bay
It's getting near crunch time in the MLB so will the true play-off contenders please stand up? Richard Fletcher selects the Saturday night ball bets...
Texas Rangers @ Toronto Blue Jays, 18:07 BST
It's that time of the season where the wheat should finally begin to separate itself from the chaff. Or it should be. The 68-50 Rangers lost last night's series opener 3-2 after the 56-63 Jays established a bold 2-0 first innings lead.
Roy Oswalt (4-2 ERA 6.53) steps up again for the Rangers after being recalled from the Minor Leagues in June. Although he started off well, winning his first two games, he still has a tendency to get smashed around the ballpark if he is not bang-on-form. For Toronto, the righty Carlos Villanueva (6-2, ERA 3.12) has been much more consistent this year (he's allowed three runs or more in just one game this year), and was on fire against the White Sox last time, where he struck-out a career-high eight batters in seven tightly-constructed innings. Whilst the Rangers are undoubtedly the best hitters in the business, last night's performance and the superiority of Villanueva, persuades me to back Toronto tonight.
Boston Red Sox @ New York Yankees, 21:05 BST, 0-0/3
The Red Sox are now drinking in the last chance saloon when it comes to play-off contention, and its closing time. In a so-far disappointing 58-62 season, the Red Sox are now 3-7 (including last night's 6-4 reversal) against the Yankees, and are losing ground in the American League East. Starting on the mound is Jon Lester (6-10, ERA 5.20), who was mightily impressive last time out versus Cleveland, where he struck out 12 batters in six superb innings, whilst conceding just one run. However, one word of caution is that Lester is 0-1 with an ERA of nearly 7.00 in two starts versus the Yankees this year. For the 71-48 Yankees, David Phelps (3-3, ERA 2.53) starts again since his recall from Triple-A ball, and on his last appearance against Texas he conceded just two earned runs in five innings to earn the win. Back the all-round superior Yankees again tonight at 1.84/5.
Tampa Bay Rays @ Los Angeles Angels, 02:05, BST 1-0/4
Both the 65-54 Rays and the 62-58 Angels are involved in a mighty scrap to stay in American League playoff contention. And last night's thumping 12-3 victory for the Rays is perhaps a harbinger of how the regular season could now pan-out. Righty Alex Cobb (7-8, ERA 4.08) is 1-1 with an ERA of 4.80 career-wise against the Angels, and has racked up three consecutive wins during August and has four consecutive quality starts. Conversely, the Angels' C J Wilson (9-9, ERA 3.32) has been unfortunate to have gone nine consecutive games without picking up a win. In his last outing against the Indians he went well, only allowing three runs in nearly seven innings pitched, but in a 6-2 reversal he didn't get any offensive help in a strangely blunt hitting performance by the Halos. Bite the bullet and back the 2.35 Rays.
Recommended Bets
Back Toronto
Back New York Yankees @ 1.824/5
Back Tampa Bay
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