Major League Baseball Predictions for October 1-2

The primary focus at the end of the MLB season has been the Aaron Judge’s pursuit of Roger Maris’ American League record of 61 home runs. Judge is on 60 at the time of writing and may well have matched or surpassed the total by the time his side take on the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday.

The Yankees have all but taken the AL East crown, with their win-loss record at the time of writing of 94-58 giving them a significant advantage over the Toronto Blue Jays who sit in second with a record of 86-67.

Judge’s season has been historic on a number of counts and he has a legitimate chance of winning the triple crown (topping the standings for home runs, RBIs, and batting average).

The former two categories are all but confirmed in Judge’s favour and so he just needs to fight off the advances of the Boston Red Sox’s Xander Bogaerts in batting average. The pair are tied on .314 with Luis Arraez just behind on .313. Judge would be just the second hitter since 1967 to top all three categories.

For the Orioles, they have two of the top four stolen base leaders in MLB, Jorge Mateo and Cedric Mullins with 33 and 31 steals respectively.

The Yankees are on the march toward the postseason and Judge is on the history trail, with the Orioles the latest team that may see how destructive the slugger can be.

The Houston Astros have long since secured the AL West title and their record at the time of writing of 101-53 puts them comfortably the best team in the American League.

They face the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday, who are locked in a fierce battle for the AL wildcard. Their 84-69 record puts them just in the final wildcard spot, narrowly ahead of the Seattle Mariners having played a game more than them.

Shane McClanahan has been a standout for the Rays, his WHIP of 0.92 ranks third in the majors and his 2.51 ERA and 192 strikeouts are both in the top 15 among eligible starters.

The Astros, however, have the top pitcher in the majors this season, Justin Verlander. The 39-year-old’s 1.82 ERA is the best in the majors, while his 0.84 WHIP also ranks as the best among eligible starters. To add to that, the Astros’ hurler has a win-loss record of 17-4, the second best in the majors.

The Rays need to make every game count in the race for the wildcard spots and will have to overcome a difficult-to-beat Astros team if they are to keep their place in the postseason picture.

The New York Mets and the Atlanta Braves have been locked in a battle for the NL East title throughout the season and it looks set to go to the wire. The pair face off on Saturday, with the Mets’ record at the time of writing of 97-57 putting them 1.5 games ahead of the Braves’ 95-58.

Both teams have qualified for the wildcard positions should they miss out on the division title but the pair will both be desperate to avoid that lottery.

Jeff McNeil may be integral to the Mets’ chances of winning the division, his .317 batting average is the second-best in the MLB and his .813 OPS is in the top 40 among eligible hitters.

For the Braves, Austin Riley has been a key part in their offensive success; his 37 home runs is joint-fourth in the MLB and his .887 OPS is 10th in the majors.

In such a crucial matchup between these two teams who are in a battle to the bitter end for the division title, these two hitters could end up having a major say in what is set to be a nail-biter.

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