Opening Odds for All First-Round/Wild Card Round MLB Playoff Series

• The MLB postseason opens Tuesday with action in all four best-of-three American League Wild Card Series
• The National League Wildcard Series get underway Wednesday
• See below for the opening odds and a preview of all first-round playoff matchups

A record 16 teams will be part of the MLB playoff picture when it gets underway Tuesday. However, eight of those 16 teams will quickly have their bubbles burst.

The opening-round MLB Wild Card Series will be best-of-three affairs. All of these eight series will be contested at the home ballpark of the higher-seeded teams.

These are the series prices on the eight MLB Wild Card Round series.

MLB Wild Card Round Odds

Odds as of Sept. 27  at PointsBet.

The Los Angeles Dodgers entered the MLB regular season as favorites in the World Series odds and will enter the playoff round maintaining their status as the chalk to win the Fall Classic. LA’s NL ball club is the +325 choice on average across the leading sportsbooks.

Yankees Still AL Playoff Pick

Despite stumbling to a 33-27 record and losing six of their last eight games of the season, DraftKings still list the New York Yankees as the +280 chalk to win the ALCS and advance to the World Series. The Bronx Bombers will have their work cut out getting past the Cleveland Indians in the AL Wild Card round.

Game 1 opens with a sensational pitching duel between AL Cy Young Award favorite Shane Bieber and the Yankees’ Gerrit Cole. Bieber is the first pitcher to lead MLB in wins (eight), ERA (1.63) ERA and strikeouts (122) since Johan Santana of the Minnesota Twins in 2006.

DJ LeMahieu finishes with a .364 batting average, becoming the first player in the Modern Era (since 1900) to lead both the American League and National League in hitting.

— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) September 27, 2020

New York’s DJ LeMahieu finished with a major league-leading .364 average. Luke Voit’s 22 homers also topped the majors.

The Yankees led the AL in OPS (.798), while Cleveland finished third from the bottom (.689). The Indians posted an AL-leading 3.29 ERA. The Yanks finished eighth (4.35).

We will be hosting the Wild Card round in Cleveland.

Home. ❤️#OurTribe pic.twitter.com/fooGCKNVXw

— Cleveland Indians (@Indians) September 27, 2020

New York must go to Cleveland for this series and that’s significant. The Yanks were 22-9 at Yankee Stadium this season but just 11-18 on the road.

The Indians will continue in the playoffs without manager Terry Francona. He’s been out since Aug. 16 due to gastrointestinal issues. Sandy Alomar Jr is managing Cleveland in Francona’s absence.

Playing at Progressive Field with their pitching edge, bet the Indians.

Pick: Cleveland Indians (+110).

Marlins Create Bad Memories For Cubs

Where have you gone Steve Bartman? Cubs nation turns its lonely eyes to you.

Okay, maybe not.

The only previous playoff meeting between the Chicago Cubs and Miami Marlins was in the 2003 NLCS. The Cubs were leading the best-of-seven series 3-1 and ahead in Game 5 when Cubs fan Bartman interfered with a foul ball hit down the left-field line that Chicago outfielder Moises Alou was poised to catch.

The Marlins rallied to win the game, and the series and Bartman became Public Enemy #1 in the Second City.

Bad news? This series is also set for Wrigley Field, the scene of the crime. Good news? Fans aren’t permitted, so their won’t be an instant replay.

Postseason baseball returns to Wrigley Field!

The #Cubs host the Marlins for a best-of-3 series beginning Wednesday! #FlyTheW pic.twitter.com/G14I2pSGrG

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) September 27, 2020

The Marlins are baseball’s perfect playoff club. They’ve never lost a postseason series. They won the World Series in 1996 and 2003 in their only previous playoff appearances.

These aren’t those Marlins. Miami was 11th in the NL in ERA (4.86) and 12th in OPS (.703). And Bartman won’t be around to help out this time.

Pick: Chicago Cubs (-190).