Yankees to Take 2 in a Row From Detroit
Who: New York Yankees v. Detroit Tigers
When: Wednesday August 23rd, 2017 7:10PM EST
Where: Comerica Park—Detroit, Michigan
Since losing sole possession of the AL East lead more than a month ago, the Yankees have really turned things around and, once again, look to be playoff contenders. They have put on some impressive performances over the past week and a half and, apart from losing 2 of 3 in Boston, have regained a slim lead atop the AL Wild Card race. As seen by their 13-4 win on Tuesday to kick off this series, the Yankees’ bats seem to have been revived. Rather than losing hard-fought, close games, the Yankees have more regularly been opening up large, insurmountable leads that eventually lead to wins. Even as teams like the Twins and the Angels rack up win after win, the Yankees have maintained their playoff-worthy position. Whether that will continue on Wednesday, however, remains to be seen.
The Tigers, on the other hand, have been performing poorly all season long, and that has not changed much at all in recent weeks. Their series with the Yankees got off to a poor start, and it is looking like things just might get worse for the Tigers on Wednesday. Over the course of their last 11 games, the Tigers have gone 2-9. Granted, the teams they have been playing are most likely going to be making post-season appearances, but that does little to quell the frustration of Detroit’s fans.
This series is much more vital for New York than it is for Detroit, seeing as the Yankees actually have something at stake. Conversely, the Tigers have the opportunity to make it more difficult for an AL opponent to cling to their Wild Card-leading position. Having said that, there are few people who are confident the Tigers can even win a single game against the red-hot Yankees.
Game Overview and Analysis
For the visiting Yankees (-230), we will see right-hander Luis Severino (10-5 3.18 ERA) take the mound. Like most Yankee pitchers, Severino is having a year he will not quickly forget, thanks, in large part, to the immense amount of offensive help he has received. Coming off of a win in his most recent start, Severino should have a lot of confidence once he takes the mound on Wednesday. Unfortunately for him, even his solid performances this year will not allow him to forget the first time he pitched at Comerica Park, near the beginning of the 2016 season. During that outing, game temperatures did not make it out of the 30s, and Severino did not make it much beyond 5 innings. He ended up receiving a loss that night, but from that point on he has built a solid resume. I think we will see more of 2017 Severino than 2016 Severino on Wednesday night, and so lon as the Yankees’ offense comes to play, there should be no problems for the Pinstripes.
What’s more, we can have some confidence that the bats will be on display on Wednesday, as Yankee batters have come along nicely over their last few games. If we see the solid pitching and competent hitting that we saw last night, the Yankees are going to easily take care of the Tigers.
For the hosting Tigers (+195), Jordan Zimmerman (7-10 5.87 ERA) will be taking the mound. While only a few years ago, Zimmerman lived within the nightmare of just about every batter in MLB, such has not been the case this year. His ERA of nearly 6, combined with his losing record will show you that 2017 has been far from kind to Zimmerman. Add this to the fact that he has given up 7 earned in each of his last 2 outings, and you have a Yankees batting lineup that is really chomping at the bit.
Unless Zimmerman can drastically improve upon what he has done that last two times he took the mound, the Tigers are looking like they will be in for yet another rough night.
Betting Prediction
If you are looking to entertain a moneyline bet, I think you have no other option than to go with New York (-230). The -230 odds are far from great, but I am having a difficult time envisioning any scenario in which Detroit wins. Not only are their bats struggling, they are sending a veteran to the mound who has been hit by a majority of the batters he has faced recently.
At Bovada, the over/under for this game is listed at an even 9 runs (-110/-110). If Tuesday night is any indication for how Wednesday is going to progress, I think you have to go with over 9 runs (-110). In fact, the Yankees may be able to surmount this over/under by themselves, and for that reason you might also want to check out their team over/under, which is currently listed at 5.5 (EVEN/-125). The EVEN money entices me, but what really gets me going is the fact that the Yankees nearly tripled this team over/under a night ago.