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Today is Round 2 of the MLB Dream Bracket Presented by DraftKings. where 32 all-time Major League Baseball teams compete in a computer simulation to determine a winner. We’ve eliminated half the American League sides already, and today four more best-of-seven series begin to get down to the last four sides on the Junior Circuit.
The tournament uses Out Of The Park Baseball 21, a simulation engine powered by advanced statistics, ratings, and a complete database of players going back to 1871. Each matchup plays out a best-of-seven series between the best of the all-time rosters for both teams until we have a winner.
For today’s action you can enter here to win up to $500 via a free entry at DraftKings! You’ll need to correctly pick the four American League matchups as well as seven other questions more correctly than your opponents to take home the win.
Below are today’s matchups, and you can see the entire roster for all of today’s teams here. Here’s a few best bets choices for today’s games:
Toronto Blue Jays vs. Boston Red Sox
In the last round, the Blue Jays knocked off the Twins 4-1 behind a 1.20 ERA from Roy Halladay and a 1.324 OPS from Jose Bautista. On the other side the Sox jumped out to a three-games-to-none lead over the Texas Rangers, but the team from Arlington clawed all the way back to be tied in Game 7 before Carl Yastrzemski hit a grand slam in the bottom of the eighth en route to a 6-2 victory.
Despite the struggle, we’ll take the Sox here. Except for Halladay the Blue Jays struggled to pitch, and you can’t imagine an offense with Carlton Fisk, Ted Williams, and Jimmie Foxx will be held down for long.
New York Yankees vs. Cleveland Indians
The Yanks got past the Mariners in six games, with Red Ruffing going 2-0 with an 0.61 ERA, and Yogi Berra was 7-for-21 at the plate with two homers. Meanwhile the Tribe went the distance against a team of Negro League players that included Satchel Paige, Cool Papa Bell, and Josh Gibson. Nap Lajoie was the star, hitting .548 for the series with two dingers and eight RBI’s in the leadoff spot.
The Indians might have gotten a bad draw here, as they’re one of the most complete teams in the tournament. It’s hard to hold down a lineup of Jeter, DiMaggio, Ruth, Gehrig, and Mantle for too long, but those five combined to only hit two home runs in the series, and batted well under .200. Can that continue?
Maybe the computers don’t like the Bronx Bombers as much as Cooperstown does. We’ll take the Indians in an upset.
Will any of today’s series go to 7 games?
Of the 16 opening series, four went the distance. As the talent gaps get smaller as it goes on, it’s more likely we’ll find teams battling each other later and longer. We’ll say yes, at least one team is playing a double-elimination game today.
How many Home Runs will Alex Rodriguez have in this round?
* 0
* 1
* 2
* 3+
A-Rod went yard exactly once in the opening series, and hit only .235 out of the seven-hole. And with the Tribe having Bob Feller, Sudden Sam McDowell, Early Wynn, and plenty of other great arms, it could be tough to get the ball out of either Yankee Stadium as a right-hander, or Progressive Field anytime. We say J-Lo’s Boo lucks into one A-Bomb, but that’s it.
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