As the final few weeks of the MLB season are yet to be played, several questions remain. Which teams will rise to the top and claim the wild card playoff spots? The Cubs versus Brewers highlight the weekend play with other important matchups to be examined.
Chicago Cubs versus Milwaukee Brewers
In this NL Central battle, the second-place Cubs host the third-place Brewers. Milwaukee is “burning hot” despite losing their last game and the Cubs are “average”. Milwaukee holds a +21 to +16 advantage on the Power Ranking Indicator. Both teams have been playing in games trending “under” according to the Totals Predictor. OF the pitching matchups, Cole Hamels verus Zach Davies on Friday should be the best, with both over +1400 on the Pitcher Profit Oscillator. The worst bet for the weekend is Yu Darvish for the Cubs on Saturday at -1757. Milwaukee is very stable at +31 on the Team Volatility Oscillator and have a 39-30 home record versus 28-39 road mark for the Cubs. Expect the Brewers to take two of three in this series.
New York Yankees versus Boston Red Sox
In this classic AL East showdown, the first-place Yankees head to Boston to face the third-place Red Sox. The Yankees are “burning hot” having one seven of their last ten, while the Red Sox are “average up” going 6-4 over their last ten. New York holds a +29 to +17 advantage on the Power Ranking Indicator. Best to avoid the “over/under” as teams are trending on opposite sides of the line. The Yankees are among the most stable teams in the league, consistently performing according to their favorite/underdog status. Scheduled starting pitchers Domingo German, J.A. Happ and Masahiro Tanaka have all been very profitable for the Yankees. The best match up for the weekend is Tanaka versus Rick Porcello, both with a pitcher profit mark over +1300. The Yankees have a better road record than the Red Sox do at home and will win two of three this weekend.
Philadelphia Phillies versus New York Mets
Both teams are still battling for the final wild-card spot in this NL East battle. The Phillies have a +15 to +10 advantage on the Power Ranking Indicator and “average” versus “ice cold down” on the Team Strength Oscillator. Best to avoid the “over/under” in this series according to the Totals Predictor. The Phillies are the more stable team at +20 on the Team Volatility Oscillator. They are likely to be underdogs much of the weekend with a sub .500 road record versus the Mets’ 37-27 home mark. Of the six scheduled starting pitchers, only Vince Velasquez of the Phillies and Noah Syndergaard of the Mets are in the green on the Pitcher Profit Oscillator. The series is a toss-up, but I’m giving a slight edge to the Phillies offense to kick it into gear and win two of three.
Washington Nationals versus Atlanta Braves
The top two teams in the NL East face off this weekend in Atlanta. Both teams are 8-2 over their last ten game and are “burning hot” on the Team Strength Oscillator. The Braves have a +28 to +23 advantage on the Power Ranking Indicator and are the more stable team, ranking +34 on the Team Volatility Oscillator. Another match up to avoid the “over/under” with teams trending on opposite sides of the line. Looking at the pitching for this series, Dallas Keuchel is the best bet for the Braves at +1026 and Max Scherzer is the top for the Nationals at +1823 on the Pitcher Profit Oscillator. Washington is six games over .500 on the road and the Braves are 47-27 at home. Atlanta is too strong overall and should take two of three in this series
Seattle Mariners versus Houston Astros
In the AL West, the Astros have a 10 1/2 game lead over the A’s and the Mariners are bringing up the rear, 32 games behind. Houston has a +27 to + 6 advantage on the Power Ranking Indicator. They are also 8-2 over their last ten compared to 3-7 for Seattle. Among the most stable teams in the league at +46, the Astros should be in excellent position at home this weekend. Seattle is “ice cold up” versus “average up” on the Team Strength Oscillator. Of the scheduled starting pitchers, only Gerrit Cole is in the green on the Pitcher Profit Oscillator. The Astros have dominated at home this season with a 51-17 record and should have little trouble against the Mariners. Expect a series sweep for Houston.
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