MLB Picks September 2: Royals Battle Guardians in AL Central Showdown

Entering the final month of the MLB season, nearly half of the teams are still in realistic playoff contention. There are 11 games scheduled for September 2. We will examine five of those games, with the Guardians’ and Royals’ battle for the AL Central lead as the featured game.

Cleveland Guardians versus Kansas City Royals

The top two teams in the AL Central clash in this one with Cleveland holding a 1.5-game lead. Both teams are 3-3 over the last six games. The teams have been involved in games “over” the line in seven of the last 12 and the score prediction is 8-2 in favor of Cleveland but with only 16 percent confidence. Cleveland is +15 to +5 on the Power Ranks Indicator but Kansas City has a scoring differential edge of +102 to +68. The Royals are 41-28 at home versus 35-34 on the road for the Guardians.  Kansas City has won seven of the 10 games between the teams this season. I like that trend to continue and go with the Royals in a game “over” the line.

Los Angeles Dodgers versus Arizona Diamondbacks

In a battle of the NL West titans, the Diamondbacks host the Dodgers. Both teams are “burning hot” on the Team Strength Oscillator and Los Angeles is +21 to +26 on the Power Ranks Indicator. The teams are trending in games “over” the line with the score prediction of 6-5 in favor of Arizona. Jack Flaherty is scheduled to pitch for the Dodgers versus Eduardo Rodriguez for the Diamondbacks. Flaherty is 7-5 with a 2.95 ERA while Rodriquez has an ERA of 5.06 despite a 2-0 record. Both teams have been very consistent regarding their favorite/underdog status. Arizona has won five of the nine previous games between the teams. I like the Dodgers to even the score in this one but pass on the over/under bet.

Minnesota Twins versus Tampa Bay Rays

Minnesota has dropped the last four games and 3.5 games back in the AL Central. Both teams are “average” on the Team Strength Oscillator and Tampa Bay is +9 to 0 on the Power Ranks Indicator. The teams are trending in games on opposite sides of the over/under line with a score prediction of 4-3 in favor of Minnesota. The Rays won two of the three previous games between the teams with each game being decided by a run. Tampa Bay is 34-34 at home and Minnesota is 35-32 on the road but the Twins have a substantial edge in scoring differential, +63 to -63.  I like Minnesota to get back on track in a game “under” the line.

Boston Red Sox versus New York Mets

Both teams enter play “burning hot” with the Mets having a +20 to +6 edge on the Power Ranks Indicator. Boston is 3.5 games out of the final wild-card spot in the AL and the Mets are 3 games out in the NL.  The teams have been involved in games “under” the line in each of the last three. New York has a scoring differential edge of +33 to +10. The Red Sox are excellent on the road at 38-27 and have a better record than the Mets’ home record. Boston won two of the three games between the teams last season. I like that dominance to continue in a game “under” the line.

New York Yankees versus Texas Rangers

The Yankees sit with the best record in the American League and the Rangers are all but out of playoff contention, sitting 9.5 games out of the final wild card spot. The teams are trending in games “under” the line with a score prediction of 7-2 in favor of the Yankees with nearly 80 percent confidence.  Texas has been much more stable recently according to the Team Volatility Oscillator and +24 to +14 on the Power Ranks Indicator. New York has a huge scoring differential edge of +126 to -41 and is significantly better on the road than Texas is at home. I like the Yankees in a game “over” the line.