The 2021 American League Playoffs appear to be extremely wide-open, as all five teams are listed with odds of less than 10-1 to win the American League Pennant. The Tampa Bay Rays and Houston Astros are virtually co-favorites, while the Chicago White Sox are a close third choice. The two teams playing the Wild Card Game, the Yankees and Red Sox are the so-called longshots. Let’s look at all five teams, American League Pennant odds and the American League Playoff schedule.
MLB American League Pennant Odds
Tampa Bay Rays +236
Houston Astros +241
Chicago White Sox +310
New York Yankees +490
Boston Red Sox +915
Tampa Bay Rays
The Rays won 100 games this season, but they are not getting a lot of respect. Tampa has a lot of young players, many of which are not household names, so people kind of ignore the Rays. What Tampa does have is a manager in Kevin Cash who knows how to win big games, an excellent bullpen and a lot of home run power.
The concern for the Rays is that they are heavily dependent on the home run. When the Rays hit home runs, they win and win big, but when they don’t hit the long ball, they are beatable. Tampa is a perfect example of what baseball has become, all or nothing. The Rays hit a lot of home runs, but they led the league in strikeouts.
Houston Astros
The Astros have one of the best lineups in the league and they are extremely balanced. The Astros don’t rely on home runs, as they can score in a variety of ways. Houston doesn’t have the big-name starting pitchers or the bullpen that some other teams have, so they need everyone to contribute.
Houston has a pitching staff that has trouble throwing strikes, as they were in the bottom third of the league in walks. That is a big concern in the playoffs where so many games are close. Houston is also very dependent on Lance McCullers leading the way, unless Zack Greinke returns, as the rest of their rotation doesn’t have a lot of experience.
Chicago White Sox
The White Sox have perhaps the most talented squad in the American League, but they are also managed by someone in Tony La Russa who is capable of screwing things up. Chicago has an outstanding bullpen, but there are some question marks in their starting rotation.
The biggest problem for the White Sox is that they have to deal with Houston in the ALDS. The Astros have a very similar team and more experience. Chicago has a number of big-time hitters, including Louis Robert who hit .365 with 24 extra-base hits in his last 40 games.
New York Yankees
The Yankees are overvalued in terms of the betting odds. They are just under 5-1 to win the American League, but they are basically a coin flip to win the Wild Card Game. The Yankees would then have to get past Tampa Bay in the ALDS. The Yankees have a power-backed lineup that relies heavily on Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton. New York also has a very deep bullpen that they will badly need in the playoffs.
New York needs Gerrit Cole to pitch like an ace if they are to have any chance in the playoffs. He will start the Wild Card Game so that means he won’t be available for more than one start in the ALDS.
Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox do not look like a team that is going anywhere in the playoffs. Perhaps they can beat the Yankees in the Wild Card Game, but Boston has a lineup that has holes and a pitching staff that doesn’t scare anyone. The Red Sox will need more superhuman efforts from Rafael Devers if they are to surprise in this year’s American League Playoffs.
American League Playoff Schedule
Wild Card Game
Tuesday, Oct. 5 Yankees @ Red Sox, 8:08 p.m., ESPN
Division Series (Best-of-Five) FS1 and MLB Network
Thursday, Oct. 7 TBD @ Rays, Game 1
Thursday, Oct. 7 White Sox @ Astros, Game 1
Friday, Oct. 8 TBD @ Rays, Game 2
Friday, Oct. 8 White Sox @ Astros, Game 2
Sunday, Oct. 10 Rays @ TBD, Game 3
Sunday, Oct. 10 Astros @ White Sox, Game 3
Monday, Oct. 11 Rays @ TBD, Game 4*
Monday, Oct. 11 Astros @ White Sox, Game 4*
Wednesday, Oct. 13 TBD @ Rays, Game 5*
Wednesday, Oct. 13 White Sox @ Astros, Game 5*
*If necessary
ALCS (Best-of-Seven) FOX and FS1
Friday, Oct. 15 TBD @ TBD, Game 1
Saturday, Oct. 16 TBD @ TBD, Game 2
Monday, Oct. 18 TBD @ TBD, Game 3
Tuesday, Oct. 19 TBD @ TBD, Game 4
Wednesday, Oct. 20 TBD @ TBD, Game 5*
Friday, Oct. 22 TBD @ TBD, Game 6*
Saturday, Oct. 23 TBD @ TBD, Game 7*
*If necessary
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