MLB Betting: Key AL East Rivalry Highlights MLB Weekend As Second Half Gets Underway

The MLB betting season is a marathon, not a sprint. With the second half set to get underway there is still a lot that can change in the standings, as we saw last year when the Tampa Bay Rays rallied to pass the Boston Red Sox and clinch an AL Wild Card spot on the final day of the season. It’s only fitting that those two teams meet in Florida to open the second half, a key AL East rivalry that will highlight several intriguing storylines heading in to this weekend.

Detroit Tigers @ Baltimore Orioles
Saturday, 4:05 PM ET

The Tigers were among the leading contenders picked by the online 5Dimes experts to win their division, and if their play heading in to the All-Star break is any indication, they are ready to make a strong push for first place. Detroit won its final five games and seven of 10 heading in to the Midsummer Classic, and will look to keep the momentum going against a team that has surprised nearly everyone with its strong play this year. The Orioles are technically a game ahead of the Tigers in the AL Wild Card race, which adds even more intrigue to it with Saturday’s matchup between Max Scherzer and Wei-Yin Chen set to be an exciting one. Scherzer has won three of his last four, yielding two runs or less in all three victories, while Chen has allowed 13 runs in his last 17.1 innings of work after a strong start.

MLB Betting Pick: Detroit Tigers

Boston Red Sox @ Tampa Bay Rays
Saturday, 7:10 PM ET

The rivalry between the Red Sox and Rays has steadily developed over the past five years, and with Boston desperate to turn things around after ending the first half in the AL East basement, they now have to face a tough Tampa Bay team out of the break. The Red Sox will send Clay Buchholz to the mound in search of his fifth-straight win, and he is 8-2 on the season despite a 5.53 ERA. Rays’ starter David Price has the better numbers at 11-4 with a 2.82 ERA, but he has lost both of his starts against Boston this pay head season.

MLB Betting Pick: Boston Red Sox

Texas Rangers @ Seattle Mariners
Saturday, 9:10 PM ET

Arguably the best online MLB betting team against arguably the worst, Texas couldn’t have a more favorable matchup coming out of the break as they look to retake first place in the majors over the New York Yankees. Saturday’s matchup will feature Yu Darvish on the mound for the Rangers, and with Seattle ranked 29th in the majors in team batting average with a .230 mark, this one could get ugly. The Mariners haven’t named their starter yet, but whoever starts isn’t likely to have very much fun against the top-ranked offense in the majors.

MLB Betting Pick: Texas Rangers