MLB Betting Tips: Two victory celebrations in the ALDS?

The New York Yankees and Detroit Tigers are on the verge of booking spots in the American League Division Series, but it’s win or bust for the Kansas City Royals and Cleveland Guardians on Thursday (live on TNT Sports channels from 23:00 BST).

Game 4 of the best-of-five DS brings high-stakes baseball, and here are my MLB Betting Tips.

Today’s MLB Odds

AL Division Series Game 4: Cleveland Guardians @ Detroit Tigers Odds (23:08 BST)

Pitching has ruled this fascinating Division Series, with Wednesday’s Game 3 involving 13 different hurlers. Neither starter went more than three innings as the Tigers’ “pitching chaos” continued to reap rewards.

It’s likely to be more of the same for AJ Hinch and Detroit in Game 4 as the skipper again makes a late call on the structure of his pitching line-up. Up against the Guardians’ Tanner Bibee, I’d expect the Tigers to once more go with a starter, a bulk guy, and then all hands on deck as they look to end the series early.

The Guards have the slight edge with the bookies, with Betfred slating them as 5/6 favourites to take the win against the Tigers’ 1/1.

AL Division Series Game 4: New York Yankees @ Kansas City Royals Odds (01:08 BST Friday)

The power of the New York Yankees was in full evidence on Wednesday, and they will be well backed to end the threat of the Royals in Game 4 on Thursday behind Gerrit Cole.

Their ace wasn’t at his sharpest in Game 1, but there is an expectation that he’ll have more than enough about him tonight to set the platform for a Yankee victory.

The Royals have won only 15 of their last 36 games at Kaufmann Stadium, and that is a trend they will need to buck if they’re to send the series back to the Bronx for a Game 5.

The home side are 13/10 to tie the series, with the Yankees 8/13 for the clinching victory.

Yankees -2.5 @ 17/10

I can’t see past the Yankees. Their Giancarlo Stanton-inspired performance in Game 3 was a reminder of their hitting prowess following on from a quiet night for the batting line-up two nights earlier at Yankee Stadium.

Michael Wacha gets the ball for the Royals, but he struggled to hold the Yanks back in Game 1 and I think similar could happen here.

Matt Quatraro might need to carry a quick hook given the stakes on the line, and it’s important Wacha hands over to the bullpen without the game already all-but lost.

The Yankees ought to be too good though, and the 17/10 on offer for a victory of three or more runs for the road grays implies a 37% probability, which I reckon is on the low side.

Tigers/Yankees Double @ 2/1

The Yankees we have covered, but the Tigers have had a vice-like grip on the Guardians pretty much since the first inning of Game 1.

The Guards haven’t scored in 20 innings, and while all these sorts of streaks come to an end at some point, I fancy the Tigers to retain a dominance in Game 4.

From 7-0 Guardians in Game 1 to back-to-back 3-0 victories for the Tigers, this series has been all about the pitching shutouts.

We even almost had a double nine-inning blank in Game 2 before Kerry Carpenter’s tie-breaking three-run homer with two outs and two strikes in the top of the ninth.

I’m not quite ready to back the shutout for a fourth successive game in the series, but what I am willing to do is jump on the Tigers and Yankees to both complete the job four days before the start of the ALCS that would see them collide.

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