Betting tips / Nick Shiambouros / 01 October 2011 / Leave a comment Bet Now View Market

Nick Shiambouros looks at the American League match-ups where he fancies the market leaders to go well .

Tampa Bay Rays v Texas Rangers
The Rays became the first team in history to reach the playoffs after making up a nine game deficit in September.

In the final game of the season on Wednesday the Rays rallied to beat the New York Yankees 8-7 in one of the most exciting games ever seen at Tropicana Field. Tampa third baseman Evan Longoria launched a home run in the 12th inning to send the Rays into the post-season and eliminate the Boston Red Sox.

But Tampa have struggled to score runs all season and will rely heavily on their stellar pitching to win this series.

Manager Joe Maddon has selected rookie Matt Moore to start Game 1 on Friday evening. This lefty has made just three Major League starts but has pitched superbly in the minors. He has an ERA of 2.92 at the Double and Triple-A level. Maddon is taking a huge gamble by starting a rookie in such an important game but he believes Moore can get the job done.

The Rangers won the AL West with a record of 96-66. They cruised in to the post-season and come in to this series with a relatively fresh roster. CJ Wilson will start Game 1. This lefty has an ERA of just 1.21 in September and is pitching at a very high level. More importantly, Wilson has owned the Rays this season and is unbeaten in three starts.

On the other side of the ball, the Texas offense is averaging an incredible .283 as a team which is impressive to say the least.

I think the Texas Rangers will be extremely difficult to beat in this series. They have a potent offense which should score plenty of runs against the fatigued Rays. They must be backed at [1.59] in the Series Winner market.

Detroit Tigers v New York Yankees
The Yankees won the tough AL East with a record of 97-65. They had a pretty easy September and will be ready to go in Game 1 on Friday.

As expected, CC Sabathia will start for New York. This ace has a remarkable record of 7-1 in post-season play. Sabathia lives for moments like these and is bound to bring his best stuff for this game. He finished the regular season with a record of 19-8 and an ERA of 3.0.

The Tigers won the AL East with a record of 95-67. This hard-hitting team is averaging .277 which represents the third best record in the AL. Justin Verlander will start Game 1 for Detroit. This superstar finished the regular season with a record of 24-5 and an ERA of just 2.4. He is one of the elite pitchers in the game and will be very tough to handle.

I think this will be a close series but I just favour New York. They have a wealth of playoff experience which could prove invaluable.

Recommended Bets
3pts Back Texas Rangers in the Divisional Series Winner market at [1.59]
1pt Back New York Yankees in the Divisional Series Winner market at [1.7]
1pt Friday back New York Yankees in Game 1 at [1.8]