We are entering the last week of the Major League Baseball (MLB) regular season, and all teams are fighting for a spot in the upcoming postseason.
The Orioles and Rays have clinched their playoff berths in the AL for now. On the other hand, the Minnesota Twins secured the division title after an excellent record of 83-73 so far. In the NL, the Atlanta Braves also secured the division title with an impressive 100-56 record, being the first team to reach 100 wins this season.
Finally, the Milwaukee Brewers and Los Angeles Dodgers are the other teams that have clinched their playoff berths. As a result, there is still a lot at stake, and all the teams that still have a chance to make the playoffs will be playing for their lives in this last week.
We will preview the most interesting games of week 27 of the 2023 MLB season.
MLB Weekly Preview 27: Yankees vs. Dbacks
When:
Monday, September 25 at 01:05 PM ET in the Yankee Stadium
Moneyline odds:
Yankees +104
Dbacks -119
Where Can I Watch it?
MLB.tv, ESPN, and Fox Esports
The NY Yankees lost last Sunday to the Dbacks at home by 1-7, which caused the 2023 MLB team season from the Big Apple to end, as the team it left without chances to qualify for the postseason. Likewise, they must still finish playing the remaining games on the season schedule.
The Yankees cannot finish higher than third place in the AL East and come into this game with a 78-77 record, 5-5 in their last 10 games. Now, for this game against the Dbacks, the Yankees will have Clarke Smith (9-9, 4.65 ERA) on the mound. Also, watch Aaron Judge, who is having a great season and is currently very hot with the bat.
On the other hand, the Arizona Dbacks have yet to secure their postseason berth despite having a good 82-73 record in the NL West. However, the team will have to play all this week to add up the wins to qualify for the wildcard round.
The Dbacks will have Merrill Kelly (12-7, 3.37 ERA) as their starting pitcher and have Christian Walker and Corbin Carroll as their top offensive scorers.
For this game, we expect the Yankees to stick out their chests and start the week with a big win to close out their 2023 MLB season on a positive note.
Yankees vs. Dbacks Betting Pick: Yankees
MLB Weekly Preview 27: Angels vs. Rangers
When:
Monday, September 25 at 9:38 PM ET in the Angel Stadium of Anaheim
Moneyline odds:
Angels +164
Rangers -189
Where Can I Watch it?
MLB.tv, ESPN, and Fox Esports
The Angels no longer have a chance to qualify for the postseason, so their season is officially over. However, the team could be a thorn in the side of the Rangers, who are battling for the AL West lead with the Astros and Mariners.
The California team had a bad season, as they currently have a 70-86 record, with 2 wins in their last 10 games. In addition, the franchise was not efficient even playing at home, so they should be planning for next season right now. Likewise, speaking of the present, the Angels will have Patrick Sandoval as their starting pitcher for this game. Once again, we will have a postseason without Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani.
The Rangers, on the other hand, have been at the top of their division throughout the 2023 season. Still, they have always been in the fight with the Mariners and the Astros, so for now, nothing is definite, and they are depending on themselves to secure their place in the postseason. They have an excellent record of 87-68 and are 2.5 games ahead of the Astros.
Texas will have Jon Gray (8-8, 4.22 ERA) for this game to get a win that brings them much closer to the standings.
For this game, we do not doubt that the Rangers will go for the kill or die to get the win. As a result, our prediction is a win for the Texas Rangers.
Angels vs. Rangers Betting Pick: Rangers
MLB Weekly Preview 27: Mariners vs. Astros
When:
Monday, September 25 – 9:40 PM ET at the T-Mobile Park in Seattle
Moneyline odds:
Mariners -125
Astros +108
Where Can I Watch it?
MLB.tv, ESPN, and Fox Esports
Both teams are battling for a postseason berth and are separated by only 0.5 games in the AL West. As a result, the winner of this game will unquestionably be ahead of the others in the standings.
The Astros currently sit in second place in the division with a strong 85-71 record. Furthermore, the reigning MLB champions know that they have to think about their win against the Mariners and can still upset the Rangers at the top of the standings. However, to do so, they will have to win every game from now on and expect losses from Texas above all.
For this game, the Astros will have Justin Verlander (11-8, 3.44 ERA) as their starting pitcher, and there is no doubt that they will rely on Yordan Alvarez and Kyle Tucker to try to get the win.
The Mariners, meanwhile, have made a quality leap in this 2023 MLB season and are also currently in contention for a playoff berth. Like the Astros, they must win every game from here on out to try to battle the Rangers for first place in the standings in this final week of the regular season.
Seattle will have Luis Castillo (14-7, 3.06 ERA) as the starting pitcher for this important matchup, and they expect Julio Rodriguez to keep his offensive rhythm to lead them to victory.
We expect both teams to give their all to win in this game. However, we’re leaning towards a win for the home team, i.e., the Seattle Mariners.
Mariners vs. Astros Betting Pick: Mariners
MLB Weekly Preview 27: Giants vs. Padres
When:
Monday, September 25 at 9:45 PM ET in the Oracle Park
Moneyline odds:
Giants +100
Padres -116
Where Can I Watch it?
MLB.tv, ESPN, and Fox Esports
In another Monday night matchup, the Giants and Padres will be playing for their lives as they try to keep alive their hopes of making it to the postseason or, in any case, to the wildcard round.
Giants and Padres have identical records at this point in the season at 77-79 and still have a chance to clinch their playoff berth. However, the reality of both teams is the opposite: the Padres are coming off winning 9 of their last 10 games, while the Giants have won only 2 of their last 10.
In addition, the Giants’ debacle is due to a problematic starting pitching, something they will have to improve this week if they want to stay in the Wild Card race.
For this game, the starting pitchers will be Blake Snell (14-9, 2.33) for the Padres and Logan Webb (10-13, 3.35) for the Giants, so we expect a low-scoring game that will undoubtedly be defined by pitching.
That said, we expect the Padres to maintain their high level and pace of play to take a comfortable win in this game.
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