Detroit Tigers vs. Oakland Athletics ALDS Playoff Betting Odds
In what’s becoming a familiar scenario, the Detroit Tigers and Oakland Athletics are meeting in the American League Divisional Playoffs for a second straight year. The Tigers won the battle last season but this is an improved Athletics team this time around. First pitch is slated for 9:30 PM EDT on Friday, October 4, 2013, from the O.co Coliseum by the Bay in Oakland, California. We get ace vs. ace to open this series and we like the Motor City Cats in this one!
Detroit Tigers: Slow start finishes with AL Central title
Fans of the Detroit Tigers wondered what the heck was going on after the Motor City Cats opened the 2013 MLB season with a 44-38 record and were a half game back of Cleveland at the half way point. Any questions were answered when the Tigers went 16-3 coming out of the All Star break and captured the AL Central Championship with a 93-69 overall record. A big part of the Cats success can be attributed to RHP Max Scherzer as he posted a 21-3 record and a miniscule ERA 2.90 in 32 starts. Scherzer had some trouble against Oakland this season as he faced them twice and gave up eight runs on 13 hits while recording two no-decisions.
Oakland Athletics: Prove 2012 MLB season wasn’t just a flash in the pan
After winning six straight games to edge the Texas Rangers for first in the AL West by one game last season, many pundits wondered if Oakland could repeat the feat. Although the battle went back and forth all season long, the answer was a resounding yes as the Athletics won the AL West by 5.5 games. The ace of the Oakland pitching staff, RHP Bartolo Colon gets the call for the Athletics tonight. At age 40 Colon still has the good stuff as he posted a 2.65 ERA and an 18-6 record over 30 starts this season. Pitching against Scherzer in both his starts against the Tigers, Colon also posted two no-decisions as he gave up just four runs on eleven hits.
Tigers vs. Athletics MLB ALDS Playoff Wagering Lines & Advantage Sports Betting Prediction
Checking in at the William Hill online sports wagering website, we find Detroit posted as road chalk at -1.5 (+135) on the run line and -130 straight up. Oakland comes into this contest as home pups at +1.5 (-155) ATS and +110 on the money line while the game total is posted at 6.5 (O -120 U +100) runs. Although we like Detroit on the road – we see this contest being a close one so we’ll stay away from the run line here. Instead, we like the OVER line and we’ll parlay it with Cats and the -130 ML posted at the William Hill premium online sportsbook.