Rich Migliorisi, Last Updated: June 28th, 2024 - PA Online Sports Betting | Free $2,000 For Betting In Pennsylvania
The MLB playoffs are in full swing and the two best teams are battling for a spot in the World Series. After winning over 100 games each, the New York Yankees and the Houston Astros face off in the 2019 American League Championship Series.
In a role bettors aren’t accustomed to seeing, the Yankees are underdogs when it comes to ALCS odds. Although Houston enjoys the home-field advantage, the Bronx Bombers still hold plenty of value for a futures pick on the series.
If you are sports betting in Pennsylvania, then SugarHouse Sportsbook PA has you covered for the ALCS. SugarHouse has New York at +145 to advance to the 2019 World Series, while the powerhouse Astros are at -175.
Bet On The ALCS At SugarHouse Sportsbook PA
This series is a rematch of the ALCS in 2017, which saw the Yankees push the Astros to seven games after falling behind 0-2. Unfortunately for Yankees fans, they came up short, losing Game 7 in Houston.
This time around, can the Yankees finish the job in beating the Astros and head to the World Series? We believe the answer is yes. And here’s why:
Let’s begin with the most obvious advantage the Yankees have, the bullpen. Now the Astros do have some pieces to work with, specifically Will Harris and Roberto Osuna. But someone like Ryan Pressly struggled in the second half of the season and might be better off facing only lefties.
Meanwhile, the Yankees have a plethora of options out of the bullpen and so far everyone has performed relatively well. Assuming Aroldis Chapman is healthy, the Yanks may only need five innings from their starters, if not less. It’s possible the bullpen may get overused, but we have seen how relievers can own an entire series.
A healthy ace in Luis Severino means the Yankees have a somewhat competent starting rotation.
According to BrooksBaseball.net, in Severino’s start against the Twins, his fastball averaged 96.70 mph, which is the best it has been since returning from injury. More importantly, his slider also saw a bump in velocity, coming in at over 86 mph.
To give you some perspective, Severino’s average fastball in 2019 was 98.01 mph and his slider was 88.45 mph. But the righty will be making only his fifth start since coming back from injury, so that velocity could still take another jump.
Of course, we can’t forget about James Paxton and Masahiro Tanaka. Paxton looked a little shaky in his start against the Twins, but he did come out of that start healthy after having some nerve irritation.
As for Tanaka, it is amazing how he continues to shine in the postseason. Considering his very mediocre regular-season numbers, I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop, but it doesn’t seem to be happening.
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Yes. And most will not bother to debate that since it’s a fact. The Astros are loaded, making them the favorites for a reason. Facing Zack Greinke, Justin Verlander and the red-hot Gerrit Cole, possibly twice each, is a daunting thought.
It is worth noting, however, that if the Yankees’ starters can keep games close as they did in the series against the Twins, then is Houston’s the edge as sharp we think it is? We are talking about two very deep offensive lineups, except the Yankees have several relievers they can throw out you as well.
And although people will simply default to “the Yankees have the Twins’ number”, New York’s starting pitching still managed to slow down what was perhaps the most powerful offense in baseball this season.
What about Game 4? Well, the Yankees can certainly go with J.A. Happ or CC Sabathia, but if they are down 1-2, they could open with Chad Green, who had a strong second half.
From there, the team can navigate their way through the Astros lineup, playing matchups and using a healthy Sabathia or Happ against lefties such as Michael Brantley and perhaps Yordan Alvarez (though his splits are pretty neutral).
We have seen this gameplan by the Rays all season long and they also made it work during the postseason against the Astros. I think this is one strategy the Yankees should consider when Game 4 rolls around.
But in that situation, I think the Yankees try to get four innings out of CC and pull the plug quickly if he shows any sign of trouble. As for the Astros, they could go with Wade Miley in Game 4 unless they wanted Zach Greinke (the likely Game 1 starter) to pitch once again.
There is one other important factor to consider and that’s New York’s potent offense.
This Yankees team can outslug any team in the league including the Astros. Most of the lineup outside of Giancarlo Stanton and Gary Sanchez performed well against the Twins and won’t be lacking confidence in the ALCS.
A few days off to get healthy may do some good for a team that has been banged up all season, especially when it comes to the aforementioned Stanton and Sanchez.
The Astros also have a great lineup and saw tougher pitching from the Rays than the Yankees saw from the Twins. Still, the Astros do have some hitters struggling in their lineup. The likes of Michael Brantley, Carlos Correa, George Springer, Josh Reddick, and Robinson Chirinos (though Martin Maldonado has performed quite well) all struggled at the dish in the ALDS.
There is a ton of baseball betting as the season moves to the playoffs phase. One of the most exciting forms of betting on the MLB and the road to the World Series is the MLB playoffs 2019 bracket.
Print Out Free 2019 MLB Playoff Bracket
If you’re a big fan of the league and enjoy watching playoff baseball, filling out an MLB playoff bracket challenge is another way to get in on the action.
Futures betting markets, we have listed above, are always the most accurate representation of which team is most likely to win the World Series. These betting markets always help when filling out a bracket.
Date | Matchup | Time | Broadcast | Stadium |
---|---|---|---|---|
10/12/19 | Gm1: NYY@HOU | 8 pm | FOX | Minute Maid Park |
10/13/19 | Gm2: NYY@HOU | 8 pm | FS1 | Minute Maid Park |
10/15/19 | Gm3: HOU@NYY | TBD | FS1 or FOX | Yankee Stadium |
10/16/19 | Gm4: HOU@NYY | TBD | FS1 or FOX | Yankee Stadium |
10/17/19 | Gm5: HOU@NYY* | TBD | FS1 or FOX | Yankee Stadium |
10/19/19 | Gm6: NYY@HOU* | TBD | FS1 or FOX | Minute Maid Park |
10/20/19 | Gm7: NYY@HOU* | TBD | FS1 or FOX | Minute Maid Park |
*if necessary
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