The race to the World Series is on and there have already been several important outcomes.  The LA Dodgers are up 1-0 in the NLDS after beating the Washington Nationals 6-0 Thursday, and they’re going to prove this wasn’t a fluke.  The Atlanta Braves fell to the St. Louis Cardinals, 7-6, and will be looking for revenge.  Coming up today are a few games that are going to keep baseball fans on the edge of their seats, too excited to worry about the seventh inning stretch.

With such a strong start against the Nationals, the Dodgers (-250) are feeling confident.  They’ve already shown that they’re ready to lead, taking the NL West from beginning to end, as well as controlling the pace of the entire National League.  There’s no reason to think they’ll do any differently during the playoffs and, following an entire month of rest, are ready to go all the way.

The Dodgers should be expected to easily make it through the series without much of a challenge.  The only possible speed bump might come in Game 3 when Max Scherzer takes the mound for the Nationals.  However, the LA squad is going to be ready for anything he throws at it and there won’t be too many issues.  The Dodgers are going to win today, and they’re likely to win all the way through.

The Braves and the Cardinals are facing off once again today, with the Cards showing that they’re not willing to give up until the final run.  In the first game, the Braves were up 3-1 at the top of the eighth, but the Cards fought back, knocking in six runs to take the game 7-6.  With that kind of rally, the Braves are going to have a difficult time tonight and the numbers show it.

The Cards are -125 on the money line and the Braves’ offense is helping give the St. Louis team the edge.  That offense has started strong, but also has a tendency to start losing energy and momentum as the game wears on.  If they can’t get off to a strong commanding start tonight, the Braves are definitely going to fall once again.  The team’s bullpen has remained in the bottom third of the league since the All-Star break, and it appears that it has run out of steam.

The AL East champs, the New York Yankees, are ready to take on the AL Central champs, but don’t expect too much out of the Minnesota Twins.  The Yankees are 4-2 on the season series, with a tight run differential of just 43-38, and are looking to make a statement.  If the contest were to go out to four games, there will be some interesting moves on both sides, but the Yankees will most likely lock things up sooner.

That victory won’t come easy, though.  The Twins have shown to be an advanced team this year and are ready to give the Bronx Bombers a run for their money.  They’re going to have to bring everything they have tonight, especially against the stronger defense shown by the Yankees, if they want to keep their opponents in check.

The money line has the Yankees at -250, and this is almost certainly where it needs to be.  More than just a hunch, the Yankees have shown that they’re ready for victory, more than the Twins have and despite a few key injuries, and will only lose if there is some sort of error.