Masahiro Tanaka has arguably been the best starting pitcher for the 55-42 New York Yankees since he came back from the disabled list. However, New York's +4.49 units mark pales in comparison to the +11.07 units of the Texas Rangers in spite of the fact that they are three-games under .500 coming into this series.
PITCHING MATCHUP
Tanaka has won his last three starts, completing at least seven frames in each of them, but we remain concerned. He still hasn't uncorked many 90+ MPH fastballs, and his average velocity remains a good 3-4 MPH off on most of his pitches from where he was a season ago.
Yes, it's nice to see Tanaka still have a K/9 just short of 9.00, and the fact that he has only walked 15 batters in 81.2 innings of work is a good sign as well. However, these Rangers hitters are putting together 4.36 runs per game.
Tanaka, remember, hasn't pitched on the road since June 27, and that day, he allowed six runs in five innings to the Astros.
The Rangers badly need another arm in their rotation as well. Martin Perez has some good stuff, but he is just two starts into his season after spending the first 70+ games on the disabled list thanks to elbow problems which basically cost him all of 2014 as well.
Perez hasn't had the benefit yet of pitching in a pitchers' park this year, as his starts have come at Houston and at Colorado. Arlington won't help his cause any either.
The good news is that Perez has kept the ball down in the zone, and that could help keep crooked numbers off of the board for live bettors.
The bad news is that the lefty's control has been terrible. He has six walks in just 11 innings of work, and when you counter that with just four strikeouts, you've got problems.
ADVANCED STATS
Live bettors already know that both of these pitchers are capable of giving up a lot of contact if their stuff isn't right. It's just a matter of which team is going to be able to bust loose and put those big innings together.
Advantage: New York.
The Yankees, who have the second most runs scored this year in the bigs behind Toronto, have a tremendous ISO of .173 as a team. That number just keeps going up as the old stalwarts, Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez continue to hit homers. These two have a combined 47 dingers on the season, and both would love nothing more than to lift balls into the Arlington night sky on Tuesday, something that both were very comfortable with early in their careers when playing for these Rangers.
TALKING BULLPENS
Texas' starting pitching has been woeful, but the bottom line is that its bullpen needs a lot of help as well. If this becomes a bullpen game, live bettors know that it is a big edge to the Bronx Bombers.
The Rangers don't have a single man in their entire bullpen with less than a 3.00 ERA, and no one has a FIP of less than 3.00 either.
Is there a man you really can trust out of this pen? Not really. The only one of the regulars who hasn't allowed a run in the last week of action has been lefty specialist Sam Freeman.
Freeman actually hasn't allowed a run since June 25, a stretch of nine full innings in a row.
The problem you'll run into with Freeman as a live bettor is that you know he's probably just coming in to face one left-handed batter. You can be confident in that one out, but that doesn't mean that you're really getting a huge edge here for betting purposes.
The MLB lines for this Tuesday contest will first be released by BookMaker Sportsbook. Gamble on the game between every half inning with BookMaker's live betting feature. Along with an adjusted in-game moneyline, you can wager on what will happen in the next at-bat or how many runs will be scored in the next inning. Live betting is the most exciting way to play!
Need to fund your account before the big game but don't have your computer? No problem! BookMaker Sportsbook now offers a mobile betting cashier so you can deposit money directly from your smartphone. Don't miss out on getting paid because you couldn't bet. Click here, and deposit at BookMaker now! The ballgame pitting the New York Yankees versus the Texas Rangers will commence Tuesday, July 28, 2015 at 8:05 p.m. ET at Globe Life Park in Arlington, TX. You can watch the contest live on FOX Sports 1.
