MLB League Championship Series Previews - Angels vs. Yankees and Dodgers vs. Phillies

MLB LCS Playoff Preview

Baseball betting is down to the nitty gritty. The American League and National League Championship Series begin this week. The New York Yankees face the Los Angeles Angels in the ALCS, while the defending champion Philadelphia Phillies try to get back to the Fall Classic against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

ALCS: Los Angeles Angels vs. New York Yankees

This series opens in the Bronx on Friday night with the baseball betting odds favoring New York with a series price of -175.

The Yankees rolled over the Minnesota Twins in the ALDS, getting great pitching from their high-priced staff and unexpected hitting from a lineup that has a history of floundering in October. The most notable bat in the order this postseason is Alex Rodriguez, who has put poor playoff showings behind him and is hitting .455 with two home runs and six RBI.

New York could march a nasty three-man rotation out to the mound during this series, looking to ace CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, and veteran Andy Pettitte to get them back to the World Series for the first time since 2003 when they were upset by the Florida Marlins.

The Angels are no strangers to postseason pressure. Los Angeles handled the Boston Red Sox in three straight games, avenging loses to the BoSox in the ALDS in the past two seasons. The Halos were among the best hitting teams all season and proved it with timely hits against Boston. After struggling with injuries for most of the season, free-swinging veteran outfielder Vladimir Guerrero has come to life in the playoffs; he's hitting .400 and was huge in a ninth-inning rally for the Angels in Game 3 of the Division Series.

Los Angeles turns to ace John Lackey, Joe Saunders, Jered Weaver, and Scott Kazmir for an ALCS rotation. The Angels’ pitching staff was solid in the opening series but the bullpen was lights-out, allowing only one run in just over six innings of work.

NLCS: Philadelphia Phillies vs. Los Angeles Dodgers

The National League's best teams begin their series this Thursday. Baseball moneyline bettors can buy the Dodgers as -125 series favorites while the Phillies are priced at -105.

Los Angeles took a stunning three-game sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals in the NLDS. The Dodgers got great work from their pitching staff, which posted an even 2.00 ERA against St. Louis’ lineup. Now Los Angeles' arms face a deep order with much more power. The Dodgers won four of their seven meetings with the Phillies this season, holding the defending champs to a .214 batting average.

Los Angeles manager Joe Torre will go with Clayton Kershaw for Game 1, followed by Randy Wolf, and then possibly Hiroki Kuroda and Vicente Padilla. The Dodgers do have starters in Chad Billingsley and Jon Garland as well.

The Phillies are hitting .296 and scoring an average of five runs this postseason. They've had 12 extra-base hits and have come up big with runners in scoring position. The usual suspects are there for Philadelphia. Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, and Jayson Werth are leading the team at the plate, while leadoff man Jimmie Rollins is beginning to heat up.

Philadelphia hands the ball to ace Cole Hamels for Game 1 and then will likely roll out rookie J.A. Happ, the red-hot Cliff Lee, and veteran Pedro Martinez.