MLB Betting: Playoff hopefuls tangle

The Cincinnati Reds are 10-3 in their last 13 road encounters.

The baseball betting calendar has flipped over to September, and that means several key weekend series will help determine which teams continue to play when October roles around. Clubs jostling for playoff position hook up this weekend in St. Louis, San Diego and Boston.

Reds at Cardinals Odds

The NL Central Division-leading Reds entered weekend action with a four-game winning streak and a big eight-game lead over second-place St. Louis. The mini-streak has allowed the Reds to pass Atlanta for the best record in the National League. The Reds are 10-3 in their last 13 road encounters and 21-8 in their last 29 overall outings. Nagging injuries might force Cincinnati to play part of the weekend without its starting middle infielders. Shortstop Orlando Cabrera (oblique) and second baseman Brandon Phillips (hand) are both "questionable."

The Cards are going in the opposite direction, entering weekend action on a five-game losing skid. The slump has left the Cards five games out of a wild card spot. St. Louis has captured 10 of the first 15 series meetings against the Reds this season, including a three-game sweep in Cincinnati during the second week in August. The MLB ‘over/under' is split at 7-7 with one ‘push.' St. Louis has gone 41-23 in its first 64 home dates, which is the second-best home mark in the National League.

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Rockies at Padres Odds

A three-game losing skid entering weekend action has not helped Colorado's chances of slipping into a wild card spot. The Rockies are 6 ½-games behind in the wild card chase and 7 ½-games behind the first-place Padres in the NL West standings. Playing away from Coors Field has not been a good proposition for the Rockies, evidenced by a dismal 8-20 record in their last 28 road encounters. They are just 26-42 away from home overall. The ‘under' is 11-1 in Colorado's last 12 road contests.

The Padres limp into this series in the midst of a season-high seven-game losing streak. The skid has seen their lead in the NL West shrink to three games over the second-place Giants. San Diego has dropped eight of 12 meetings against the Rockies this season, including a 2-4 record in the six meetings at Petco Park. In fact, San Diego's 38-26 home ledger is the poorest among all division leaders. The ‘over' is 6-1 in the last seven matchups against the Rockies. The Padres will meet teams with winning records in 26 of their remaining 30 games, while the chasing Giants have a dozen games on tap against teams with losing records.

White Sox at Red Sox

Chicago, which entered the weekend on a three-game winning streak, now has Manny Ramirez in its dugout to add more offensive punch for the stretch drive. The Pale Hose will need all the help they can get to catch the Central Division-leading Twins, who owned a 3 ½-game lead over them when the weekend began. The ‘over' is 7-2 in Chicago's last nine road outings and 11-5 in their last 16 overall games. The White Sox have 16 home games remaining, as well as just 10 remaining games against teams with a winning record. That's in addition to a Sept. 14-16 series in Chicago against first-place Minnesota.

The weekend began with Boston lagging eight games behind the first-place Yankees in the AL East and 6 ½-games behind in the wild card chase. However, seeing some White Sox uniforms might be just what the doctor ordered. Boston is 8-2 against the Pale Hose in the last 10 meetings at Fenway Park, including 3-1 in the first four meetings there this season. The ‘under' is 8-3-1 in the last 12 overall series meetings. The Red Sox are 40-26 in their first 66 home dates and have a plus-67 run differential overall.