Although there is still two months to play out the remainder of the MLB betting regular season, Northbet fans will get a potential postseason preview this weekend as the New York Yankees travel to Fenway Park to battle the Boston Red Sox with first place in the American League East on the line. The Yankees cannot afford to fall further behind in the division race in this series, and while they will shoot for maximum wins, the one game that they absolutely need to win will be Saturday evening when they send their ace to the mound.

New York Yankees @ Boston Red Sox

Saturday, 4:10 PM ET

The Yankees will turn to ace and Cy Young candidate CC Sabathia on Saturday, hoping that he can set the tone and provide some momentum going forward. Sabathia is 16-5 on the year with a solid 2.55 ERA, and he has not allowed more than two runs in a sports betting game since late June. New York won’t need Sabathia to pitch a shutout as the offense looks to tee off on Red Sox veteran John Lackey, who has struggled through the worst season of his career in 2011. Lackey is 9-8 despite an awful 6.23 ERA, and it won’t get any prettier at home against the powerful Yankees’ order. The Red Sox will try to answer with their own bats, but as long as Sabathia doesn’t get burned early, New York should be able to cruise in this one.

MLB Betting Pick: New York Yankees

Much like those who bet on MLB odds know that the American League East is mostly a two-horse race between Boston and New York, sports betting fans who follow the NFC South will see New Orleans and Atlanta battle for the title, while Tampa Bay looks to pull a surprise like the baseball team that is also in their city battling with the Red Sox and Yankees.

The Falcons and Saints are co-favorites at +120, and this duel will be about whose defense can step up first, because we all know both offenses can put up points. Atlanta made a huge move to draft receiver Julio Jones, but he is still a rookie, so you have to beware. Tampa Bay is laying back in the bushes at +400, but the young Buccaneers didn’t really make any big splashes once the lockout ended. They are on the right track with Josh Freeman under center and they may have the steal of the draft in defensive end Da’Quan Bowers, who slipped to the second round because of concerns about his ailing knee. Then there is Carolina at +1500, and the key here is to not put too much pressure on rookie Cam Newton, the Heisman-winning first overall pick who is being anointed as the franchise’s savior already.

This is all about the Falcons and Saints, who meet in Week 10 in Atlanta and again in Week 16 in New Orleans, and it will probably come down to those two games. The Bucs now have to deal with not being a surprise team, so they could take a small step backwards. But due to their great homefield advantage and an offense that could be the best in the league, take Atlanta in your sports betting picks.

If the Detroit Tigers can just find a way to get into the postseason, there is no telling what they are capable of doing. Lodged in a battle with the Cleveland Indians for first place in the American League Central, the Tigers have been incredibly inconsistent this season and after years of falling short despite talented teams, this could be the MLB betting season that they finally live up to their potential.

The Tigers rank in the top-10 in several offensive categories including fourth in batting average and 10^th in runs, with All Star Miguel Cabrera leading the way once again with 20 home runs and 63 RBI. Victor Martinez has been excellent with a .317 mark at the plate, and younger stars such as Alex Avila have provided the offense with a huge boost on several nights. The one sports betting area that Detroit will have to improve in is their pitching depth, as there is Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, and little else in the starting rotation. Verlander is a perennial All Star but the team really needs more from either Brad Penny or Rick Porcello to complete their top-three if they are going to make a run as underdogs for a World Series championship. The Tigers have the tools to compete once they get in, so the question remains can they earn their chance at winning it all or will they fall short when it matters the most.

It was no surprise when four of the eight starters in the field for the American League side in the upcoming MLB All Star game were from the New York Yankees. After all, the Yankees lead the AL in wins, and the majors in home runs, which usually are the two criteria that get players voted in. However, there is one player from New York that doesn’t fall under one of those sports betting categories in shortstop Derek Jeter, whose 12th All Star appearance may be somewhat undeserved.

Jeter has five gold gloves, countless All Star nods, and most importantly five World Series championships on his resume, but none of those is supposed to be listed in the criteria for making the All Star team. The selection is supposed to be based on the performance of players for this MLB betting season, and a look at Jeter’s numbers illustrate why he is simply not worthy of the honor this year. The 37-year old has hit .258 on the campaign, which isn’t horrible but it isn’t exactly anything special either. His two home runs are among the fewest on the Yankees, never mind the AL, and he simply doesn’t have the same power that he did when he was at the top of his game. With notable omissions such as Paul Konerko of the Chicago White Sox, some would have to wonder why the league didn’t do more to prevent this election based on reputation more than numbers.