With the new playoff format, the teams won’t get any rest after their opener on Friday. As a matter of fact, someone could even be going home for the season after Game 2 on Saturday. In these best-of-three series, there’s no margin for error. This is just like a three-game set during the regular season. In these American League games, we have two very balanced matchups. After the weekend is over, we’ll know who will get to face the Houston Astros and the New York Yankees in the next round. With all that in mind, let’s take a closer look at the upcoming games so you can keep betting against the MLB Odds.

MLB American League Wild Card Series Game 2 Previews

Seattle Mariners @ Toronto Blue Jays

We’ll see how things go in Game 1 of this series, but we’re looking ahead to Game 2.  In this #4 vs. #5 matchup, we should see some great baseball. This actually could be the evenest series in the playoffs. This is the Mariners‘ first playoff appearance since 2001, and they want to make the most of it. Seattle won the season series between themselves and the Blue Jays, taking five out of their seven games. Seattle only made one trip to Toronto, where they went 1-2.

In looking at the pitching matchup for this one, nothing has been set in stone, but we’re hearing that Seattle will choose between Logan Gilbert and Robbie Ray. In our opinion, Gilbert will probably get the nod. The youngster had a great season, going 13-6 with a 3.20 ERA. Ray signed a huge free agent deal with Seattle this past offseason. While he didn’t throw particularly well early on, he rebounded well to end the season.

As for the Toronto Blue Jays, they also have two very good options to start Game 2. The likely starter for the second game of the series would be free-agent acquisition, Kevin Gausman. Gausman had a 12-10 record with a 3.35 ERA this season. Gausman has some playoff experience, and the veteran will be ready to take the ball.  The second option would be Jose Berrios. Berrios was acquired from the Minnesota Twins at the 2021 trade deadline. Berrios struggled throughout the 2022 season. He went 12-7 with a 5.23 ERA.

Tampa Bay Rays @ Cleveland Guardians

You never know what to expect from the Tampa Bay Rays. They have used “openers” during the playoffs, have thrown starters that no one expected, and you just can’t ever really know what Kevin Cash is truly thinking. The Rays have yet to make anything official, but it looks as though Tyler Glasnow will get the start in Game 2. Glasnow returned late in the season after recovering from Tommy John surgery. He only threw 6.2 innings, but he looked sharp in those innings, striking out 10 batters with a 1.35 ERA.

We’re anticipating that the Cleveland Guardians send the lanky fireballer, Triston McKenzie to the mound. McKenzie had a fantastic season, going 11-11 with a 2.96 ERA. McKenzie has great stuff, and he suffered from a lack of run support in many of his starts this season. If the Guardian’s offense can get some runs for McKenzie, it could be a bad sign for the Rays.

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