Betting tips / Nick Shiambouros / 19 October 2011 / Leave a comment Bet Now View Market

The MLB is down to just two teams and the outsiders are a good bet for glory, says Nick Shiambouros in his World Series betting preview.

The St Louis Cardinals meet the Texas Rangers in the 2011 World Series .

The Cardinals beat the Milwaukee Brewers 4-2 to win the NL Pennant and return to the World Series for the first time since beating the Detroit Tigers in 2006.

Amazingly, St Louis made the post-season on the final night of the regular season taking advantage of a monumental collapse by the Atlanta Braves. They have not looked back since.

The Cards thoroughly deserve to be in the World Series and are the epitome of a team that never gives up.

Texas clinched their second straight American League Pennant when beating Detroit 4-2 in a highly entertaining series.

After losing to the San Francisco Giants in last year's World Series, the Rangers became the first team since the 1998-2000 New York Yankees to represent the AL in back-to-back championships.

Texas manager Ron Washington will be hoping his hard-hitting team can go one better this year and win the World Series for the very first time.

CJ Wilson will start for Texas in Game 1 on Wednesday evening. This lefty has a post-season record of 0-2 and an ERA of 8.04. Wilson has not pitched well in the playoffs and has had to rely heavily on the stellar Rangers bullpen.

Yet Wilson pitched very well during the regular season, finishing with a record of 16-7 and an ERA of just 2.94. He has a superb fastball and is an excellent strikeout pitcher. He really needs to bring his regular season form to the table in this all important Game 1.

St Louis will start right-hander Chris Carpenter, who has a post-season record of 2-0 and an ERA of 3.71. Carpenter has a wicked 96mph fastball which works well with his curveball. He has pitched at a high level in the playoffs and will be tough to handle if he brings his best stuff.

It is worth noting that Carpenter pitched eight shutout innings in Game 3 of the World Series in 2006. He has proven he can handle the intense pressure of the big occasion.

This promises to be a very close series but I think St Louis can cause the upset. They have a solid pitching roster and a bullpen that is growing in confidence by the day.

Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday have been on fire in the post-season for St Louis and should provide plenty of offence. The Cardinals are currently priced at [2.36] to win the World Series which represents super value in my opinion.

I think the Cardinals will strike first in the series are attractively priced at [1.9] in the match odds market. St Louis starter Chris Carpenter is more than capable of shutting down the Rangers offense.

Recommended Wagers
Wednesday - 1pt back St Louis Cardinals at [1.9] in the match odds market
3pts Back St Louis Cardinals to win the World Series at [2.36]