Major League Baseball Predictions for September 10/11

That win kept them five games clear of the Rays at the top of the AL East at the time of writing, and defeat for New York could have been disastrous as the Bronx Bombers have been fairly woeful since the all-star break.

The Rays, meanwhile, have quietly been going about their business and now boast a 74-58 record at the time of writing, which has them comfortably in the wild-card positions of the MLB playoffs. However, Tampa will surely see New York as vulnerable and no doubt be going all out to try and knock them off the top of the division standings. This weekend’s series will be pivotal in that quest, but you can never rule out the Yankees.

New York has a tremendous 45-20 record at home at the time of writing, and crucially their run-differential is 106 runs better than the Rays. Expect the Yankees to hit form at the right time and to get the better of the Rays this weekend.

We have another all-AL East series to look forward to this weekend as the Red Sox head to Camden Yards to take on the Orioles. No team’s season has been streakier than Boston’s, who started the season poorly before going on a surging run just before the all-star break. Since then, they seemed to have completely run out of gas, but a recent five-game win streak has them dreaming of a late-season push.

The Red Sox have the worst record in the division at 67-68 (although that would have them firmly in contention if they were playing in the AL Central) and are 7.5 games back from the wild-card positions at the time of writing. As for the Orioles, they were expected to be one of baseball’s worst teams this season but have defied all expectations to the tune of a 71-62 record - just 2.5 games off the wild-card.

This series is incredibly important for both teams. The Red Sox are hoping to keep their faint postseason hopes alive while also trying to get off the bottom of the AL East, while the Orioles know that they need wins if they are to stay in touch with the rest of the playoff-chasing pack.

Ultimately, however, the Orioles should have the edge. They have won each of their last five three-game series 2-1, including against the Red Sox themselves and American League high-flyers the Houston Astros. The series takes place at Camden Yards, where Baltimore boasts a 39-25 record this season, and that should further boost their chances of success.

The Padres and Dodgers met for a three-game series only last weekend in San Diego, where Los Angeles prevailed 2-1. Despite dropping the opening game to the Padres 7-1, the Dodgers fought back to win 12-1 on Saturday and 9-4 on Sunday. Their bats continue to be as hot as ever, and with these teams now doing battle in LA, the Dodgers’ advantage is surely enhanced.

Los Angeles is 17 games clear of San Diego in the NL West and has won a phenomenal 47 games out of 64 at Dodger Stadium. Their run-differential is an outrageous +294, which is 108 runs better than the second-best Yankees. Simply put, the Dodgers are on another level to the rest of MLB right now and there is a reason they are the hot favourites to win the World Series. While the Padres’ offence should put up a bit of a fight, expect LA to ultimately prevail.