We went 2-1 again on Tuesday, giving us a 4-2 record to start the week. That record gives us $8.69 in winnings, after two days, if we were to make $10 wagers on each bet. What we really need in a trifecta to put us in the driver’s seat as we’re nearing the halfway mark of the week. Hopefully we can accomplish that today with Tampa Bay (66-44) at the Yankees (55-52).
The Pitchers
Gerrit Cole (9.2, 2.64 ERA) has what should be an advantageous matchup against Shane McClanahan (11-1, 3.00 ERA). Cole has just one win in his last five starts but he’s been as close to spectacular during that span. With a strikeout count of 36 batters, against the last five opponents, Cole has allowed just 1.6 earned runs per game. His last win came against the Cubs on July 8th.
McClanahan hasn’t recorded a win since June 16th and has pitched in short stints. In is last five appearances he’s only made it through six innings once, and two other times he didn’t make it through four. He’s allowed an average of 3.2 earned runs over his last five trips to the mound, which is slightly above his season average.
The Lineups
Tampa Bay’s lineup is led by three bats. Isaac Paredes leads the team in home runs with 21. Yandy Diaz paces the squad in batting average (.317) and Randy Arozarena has knocked in 64 RBI. The Rays have scored 26 runs over the last five games.
New York is led by Aaron Judge and Gleyber Torres. Judge leads the Yankees with 20 home runs while Torres leads the team in batting average (.255) and RBI (45). Over the last five games New York has only scored 14 runs.
The Streaks
These two teams are streaking in opposite directions. The Rays have won three games in a row while the Yankees have dropped three in a row, including the first two of this series with Tampa Bay.
The Odds
Yankees -1.5
Yankees -120 on the moneyline
O/U 7.5
I have zero confidence in the Yankees even winning this game much less cover a -1.5 run spread. I’ll take Tampa on both the run total and the money line. We’re getting +100 on the moneyline in a game that is very winnable for the Rays so that makes this a very reasonable bet. The over/under is tricky here because we’ve got a very solid pitcher in Cole and then a Yankees lineup that has struggled heavily as of late. That said, the total is pretty low, but we’re still rolling with the under.
Follow us on Twitter: @SportsHeartland