Sabathia Starts for Streaking, Favored Yanks
By the time the 7th inning had come to a conclusion on Monday night, the Yankees (-140 on the moneyline) saw what was a 3-1 lead turn into a tie ball game. Thanks to the Angels plating two in the bottom of the 7th, the ballgame came down to the final 2 innings. Then, keeping in line with the way things have gone so far this year, Aaron Judge stepped up to the plate in the top of the 8th. Though Judge had already struck out twice in the game, he hammered home a 2-run homerun that would prove to be the difference as the Yankees went on to win by a 5-3 final. Shortly after that homerun there were chants of “MVP,” but it wasn’t for Angels’ star Mike Trout, but rather from the thousands of Yankees fans who are pleasantly surprised with what Judge, a rookie, has been doing through 2+ months of the season.
That homerun came out of nowhere, even for Judge, who commented afterwards by saying, “Yeah, didn’t start off too well, with two K’s, but that’s baseball. You never know what’s going to happen.” The 8th inning bomb also took the Yankees team total over 4.5 (-110) and saw them cover their -1.5 run spread.
CC Sabathia Looks to Extend Streak
If there was ever an opportunity for the Angels to gain some footing in this series, it was last night. Now, on Tuesday, the Angels will have to lineup against what is one of the hottest pitcher in the Bigs right now in CC Sabathia. In his last 5 starts, Sabathia has gone 5-0 and has an ERA of just 1.11. There are few pitchers playing anywhere near as well as CC, and combining that form with his experience he is a deadly starting pitcher to be facing.
On the other hand, the Angels’ JC Ramirez will be taking the mound in what will be his 12th start of the 2017 season. JC’s season has been a series of ups and downs, with his last few performances being a mixed-bag of sorts. Still, JC is 6-4 on the year and sports an ERA over 4. While his stuff has been good enough to get by some of Major League Baseball’s weaker teams, he is going to have to hit all of his marks to have a shot against the hard-hitting Yankees.
What to Look For
Yankees Bats
If we are talking hottest teams in baseball, the Yankees have to be right up there near the top of that discussion. They are now riding a 6-game winning streak, during which they have tallied a tleast 5 runs each and every night. If they can even come close to mimicking what they have been doing for the past week and a half on Tuesday night, the Angels (+110) do not stand a chance. Though Aaron Judge is making all the headlines, he is not the only Yankee hitting well. Judge is just one of 5 Yankees who are hitting well over .300.
Innings 1-5
The first half of the game is going to be especially important if the Angels want to keep things close. Not only will they need to play lights-out in the field, JC Ramirez will need to put on a good show through the first few innings. The Angels’ relief pitching has been less than stellar so far, and if Ramirez digs a hole for himself during the early parts of the game, it might end up being a long night for the fans in Anaheim.
Who to Take
For a second night in a row, most bookmakers, including MyBookie, are listing the over/under at 8.5 runs (-115/-105). Being that I do not anticipate that Sabathia will allow many runs—if any at all—the logical pick has to be the under. With that being said, however, just because Sabathia might shut down the Angels’ bats does not mean that the Yankees will have a quiet night. Ramirez gave up 7 earned runs in his last home start, so the Yankees team over of 4.5 (-105) seems like a smart bet for the second consecutive night. If you are going to pick one or the other, definitely go with the Yankees team over, as that has hit more often than it has not during their 6-game win streak.
As far as outright winners are concerned, I am going to have to go with the Yankees in this one. Between the way they have been hitting and the fact that Sabathia is one the mound, the -130 moneyline bet seems like a good one. In fact, the Yankees are -1.5 on the spread (+125), and I see a lot of value in that as well.
Though obscure, MyBookie’s offer of a 5-inning spread bet seems interesting. The Yankees are .5 run favorites (+110) through the first 5 innings, and that is a bet worth looking into. Once again, this all boils down to the fact that the Yankees have been on fire from the plate all while Sabathia has been on fire from the mound. Combine those two factors and there are few people out there who think it will be difficult for the Yankees to accumulate and hang on to a 1-run lead by the end of the 5th inning.