Let’s try to identify this season’s version of the Texas Rangers…
before watching some hoops domination.
Putting the Wild in Wildcard
What Happened: If you’ll recall, last season’s World Series was not exactly a battle of the titans. Both the Texas Rangers and Arizona Diamondbacks finished third in the Western division of their respective leagues. The Rangers were the fifth seed of six AL playoff teams, while the Snakes were the last team in on the NL side.
No matter, both clubs had a chance to finish the season as champs. With the postseason schedule officially released, it got us to thinking: what teams currently in wild card position might be good bets to make or even (gasp) win the World Series?
Why It Matters: If we contrast the betting markets with FanGraphs’ projections, there isn’t a ton of difference, but a couple of things do stand out.
In the National League, FanGraphs has the St. Louis Cardinals with a 50-50 shot to make the playoffs, and a 4.6% chance to win the NLCS. Those are better odds than both the Mets and Diamondbacks have on the site, although betting markets such as FanDuel will currently give you higher odds on the Cards at +5000 to rep the NL. (The D-Backs are at +1400, the Mets +3100.)
From an American League standpoint, the Yankees and Orioles dominate the conversation. But look to the AL Central if you want to put your chips down elsewhere.
In particular, the Twins might be your team. FanGraphs likes the Guardians (93.1%) to make the playoffs more than Minnesota (85.1%), but pegs Cleveland at a 13.2% chance to win the ALCS. Minny is a touch higher at 15.3%.
Tight margins, no doubt. But last season illustrated why laying down with the heavies might not pay off, so best to have some options in case you’re on the hunt for better value.
What We’re Watching Today
Men’s Volleyball Semifinal, USA vs. Poland (10:00 AM ET) – There is something more rugged about watching indoor volleyball after seeing the beach version of the sport. Throwing on a tank top and playing in the sand with a buddy is something we can see ourselves doing. But the hardcourt version? Six players roaming the floor per side, throwing dekes and fake runs at the other team. It’s visual overload in the best way possible, so tune in.
Men’s 200M Semifinal (2:02 PM ET) – We won’t hide our rooting interest here — after American Noah Lyles snatched the title of world’s fastest man by winning the 100M, we want to see him mop up this race as well. Joining Carl Lewis in the record books would be cool, and Lyles’ A-tier trash talk game only makes us like him more.
Women’s Basketball, Quarterfinals, USA vs. Nigeria (3:30 PM ET) – And you thought American men dominated in b-ball. Team USA hasn’t dropped a game in women’s basketball since 1992. Back then, we only had like three Gatorade flavors and a Gameboy to keep us entertained, and damnit we were happy. Anyway, Nigeria’s roster has zero WNBA players and that talent discrepancy will shine through in the final score of this one. Take bets on America’s leading scorer to keep this one interesting.
The Look Ahead
Blake Snell STRIKEOUTS – You might see where this one is going, but coming off back-to-back starts with double-digit strikeouts, we are tempted to fade Blake Snell in his start against the Nationals today. Snell’s line is 7.5, a number he has fallen below in six of his 11 starts. Also, while Washington is not very good at baseball this season, they don’t strike out at a high rate at all. In fact, only five teams have whiffed fewer times this season. Snell has been in Cy Young form lately, but we wouldn’t be shocked to see a step back here.
