MLB Betting: Underdog Indians a Win Away from World Series

Jhonny Peralta cranked a three-run blast that staked the Indians to a 6-0 lead. (AI Wire photo)

The Cleveland Indians are one win from reaching the World Series for the first time in a decade and five victories from their first championship since 1948.

Casey Blake's leadoff home run sparked a monster fifth inning as the Indians beat the Boston Red Sox, 7-3, in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series at Jacobs Field Tuesday night. The Tribe owns a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series and can clinch the pennant with a win in Game 5 on Thursday in Cleveland.

The Indians scored seven runs in the fifth, highlighted by blasts from Blake and Jhonny Peralta, whose three-run shot upped the lead to 6-0. The first three runs were scored off knuckleballer Tim Wakefield, who became the third straight Boston starting pitcher to fail to complete five innings. He left with two runners on and two outs. Manny Delcarmen came on and gave up Peralta's homer. Blake drove in the inning's seventh run with a single.

The Red Sox immediately began a comeback with a historic feat. Kevin Youkilis, David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez accomplished an LCS first with back-to-back-to-back homers in the sixth. But that outburst wasn't nearly enough against the Tribe.

Paul Byrd pitched five innings for the win, allowing two runs and six hits. The underdog Indians paid +104 on the moneyline (meaning a winning wager of $100 would net a $104 profit). The betting total was a push at 10 runs.

The Red Sox send ace Josh Beckett to the mound Thursday in hopes of prolonging their season and shifting the series back to Fenway Park for a sixth game on Saturday. Cleveland counters with its ace, C.C. Sabathia, who lost Game 1. The winner of the series faces the Colorado Rockies, who swept their way to the National League pennant on Monday night.

For ALCS odds and World Series odds, hit it out at the Bodog Sportsbook.