A berth in the American League Division Series will be on the line on Tuesday night when the New York Yankees visit the rival Boston Red Sox in this season’s AL Wild Card Game as a -120 betting favourite on the MLB odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
New York and Boston narrowly finished in a tie atop the AL Wild Card standings, just one game ahead of the Toronto Blue Jays, and will face each other in Wild Card action for the first time when they hit the diamond for Tuesday night’s matchup at Fenway Park.
A seven-game win streak lifted New York to the top of the Wild Card standings early last week. However, the team stumbled down the stretch, posting wins in just two of its final five contests, capped by a narrow 1-0 win on Sunday over Tampa Bay. New York’s recent swoon has done little to boost its position on the World Series odds, where it sits off the pace as a +1200 wager.
Listed as +110 underdogs at online betting sites for Tuesday’s contest, the Red Sox return to the postseason for the first time since their World Series victory in 2018. Winners of just 24 games during the abbreviated 2020 season, the Red Sox turned things around this year, but have tended to produce streaky results. That was evident down the stretch, with the team rebounding from a four-game losing streak to win four of its final five contests.
The Red Sox hold a narrow edge over New York this season, winning 10 of 19 meetings. However, they have posted just one win in their past eight meetings. That has contributed to the team’s slide to +1400 on the World Series odds.
Over in the National League, the road to the World Series for the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers starts on Wednesday night when they host the St. Louis Cardinals in this year’s NL Wild Card Game as heavy -210 chalk.
The Dodgers enter their first-ever sudden-death Wild Card contest riding a seven-game win streak. And despite having to earn their way into a potential NLDS clash with the rival San Francisco Giants, the Dodgers lead the way as +350 favourites on the World Series odds.
Listed as +185 underdogs for Wednesday night’s game, the Cardinals are winless in their past two contests but have been dominant on the road, posting wins in each of their past 11 away from home. The Cardinals also sport a 7-3 record in their past 10 postseason dates with Los Angeles, but are 1-5 in their past six clashes at Dodger Stadium.
