The American League has two games set for the ALDS today. The New York Yankees will battle the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 2 of their series. Ultimately, Toronto took it to the Yankees in Game 1 of the series.
After that matchup, the Tigers will look to extend their 1-0 lead over the Mariners on the road with Tarik Skubal on the hill. Detroit has a real chance to go 2-0 in its ALDS series against the Mariners.
Will they? Here’s a look at our MLB picks & predictions for today’s ALDS slate.
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Sunday’s Best MLB Picks & Predictions
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
New York Yankees at Toronto Blue Jays
The Yankees are looking to even the series at one with Max Fried on the mound. Fried has limited his last 131 batters to a .075 ISO and wOBA of .251. This season, he forced 53.1% of grounders and allowed only 19.9% of line drives. Fried will take on a Toronto offense that hasn’t performed as well against lefties. The projected lineup has hit a .164 ISO and wOBA of .313 against lefties over the last month.
Still, don’t expect Fried to add a high strikeout rate. He’ll need to get those ground balls to be successful tonight. Toronto has hit below 40% of ground balls against lefties over the last 30 days with its projected lineup. So that’s something to take into consideration.
On the other hand, the Blue Jays are rolling with Trey Yesavage. He’s held 62 batters to a .036 ISO and wOBA of .277 this season. However, he’s still walked 11.3% of batters. The Yankees will strike out plenty, but if Trent Grisham, Aaron Judge, and Cody Bellinger are patient enough at the plate, they’ll get some good counts to hit. Those three should be able to get on base to put some pressure on Yesavage.
This should be a solid pitching duel, but I’ve got the Yankees sneaking by.
Pick: Yankees Moneyline (-152)
Detroit Tigers at Seattle Mariners
I’ve already mentioned Tarik Skubal will pitch for the Tigers tonight. The left-hander has been excellent all season, holding batters to a .115 ISO and a wOBA of .244 this year. He also struck out nearly 33% of batters this season.
That said, the Mariners have struck out just 20.3% of the time against lefties over the last month. There are only three batters with a high strikeout rate against lefties in the Seattle lineup. There’s reason to believe Seattle can make Skubal work and get him out of the game earlier.
On the other hand, it’s Luis Castillo for the Mariners. Castillo has allowed as many fly balls as ground balls over the last month. Still, he’s added nearly 28% of strikeouts with a .071 ISO and a wOBA of .156 in the previous 30 days.
He’s also got an easier matchup overall. The Tigers have hit a .134 ISO and wOBA of .291 with their projected lineup against righties over the last 30 days. This lineup has struck out 28.1% of the time and has six batters with a wOBA of no better than .298.
I’ve got the Mariners evening up their series tonight, too.
Pick: Mariners Moneyline (+110)
