ALCS Begins Tonight: Preview And Odds
The Baltimore Orioles and Kansas City Royals were not near the top of the favorites to win the ALCS when the season started, yet the ALCS is set, and it has come down to a battle between these two former underdogs.
Neither team has achieved much playoff success over the year. This is only the second time in nearly 20 years that the Orioles have made their way to the postseason. The Royals last appeared in a playoff game 29 years ago. In other words, both these teams are hungry for not just the AL Pennant but also a World Series win.
Both these teams have had similar paths in the both. Both swept their respective divisions, though the Orioles made it look a little easier by outscoring the Detroit Tigers 21-10. All three of the Royals games with the Los Angeles Angels went into to extra innings with Kansas City holding on for the win each time.
Despite the Orioles offense performance against Detroit, it is their pitching that is the highlight of their roster. The same can be said of Kansas City. Baltimore has the No. 4 ranking in AL ERA (3.33) while Kansas City is No.3 (2.93).
James Shields will be pitching for Kansas City tonight. This is his third start in the playoffs. In his last outing he allowed only two runs over six innings. Shields is by no means Kansas City’s ace, though. He has a career playoff ERA of 4.96.
The Orioles will be sending Chris Tillman to the mound. Over his last seven game he is 6-1 with a 2.14 ERA.
With each of these teams playing hot, linemakers have been cautious with this one. The moneyline to bet on Baltimore is set at –128, while it is +118 to bet on Kansas City. The Orioles are currently the favorites to win the World Series according to the future odds, 11/5. However, either one of these teams could wind up with the edge in this game, given their recent unpredictability.
The run total is set at 7, which sounds like and easy under bet considering these two clubs’ pitching staff. However, Orioles 21 run series with the Angels also shows that they can be explosive on the other side of the ball as well.
