The Yankees have one of the best offenses in the major leagues but the Red Sox aren’t too far behind. These teams both have the talent to make the playoffs but each are aiming for the division title. While it’s still early in the season, this is an important and intriguing showdown for both sides.
This series will be contested from Tuesday, June 6 through Thursday, June 8, 2017 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York. Tuesday and Wednesday’s matchups will be shown on MLB Network, while Thursday’s will be nationally televised on ESPN.
Bet on MLB odds at BookMaker.eu every day of the season.
Pitching Matchups
The Red Sox will begin the series by sending Drew Pomeranz to the hill. The left-hander has impressive stuff but has been hurt by the long ball at times this season. Pomeranz is 5-3 with a 4.24 ERA on the season but the peripheral numbers are good, as he has struck out 64 batters in only 51 innings pitched. Pomeranz has given up just three earned runs over his past two starts, striking out 19 batters in 13 innings.
The Yankees are slated to start Masahiro Tanaka, who is 5-5 with a 6.34 ERA on the season. Tanaka has good peripheral numbers as well and a great track record, so he could very well bounce back in this one even against a good offense.
In the second game of the series, Boston is scheduled to send Rick Porcello to the mound. He is only 3-7 on the season with a 4.24 ERA but has 73 strikeouts against only 14 walks and is another pitcher who is better than his ERA would suggest. The Yankees will counter with C.C. Sabathia, who is 6-2 with a 4.12 ERA. While Sabathia’s numbers are better, Porcello is clearly the superior pitcher.
In the series finale on Thursday, the Red Sox are scheduled to send out David Price. The left-hander missed the first part of the season due to injury but has returned and is 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA. Price gave up one run in seven innings while striking out seven last time out, and the further away he gets from his injury the stronger he should become. This will be a good one, since the Yankees will send out Michael Pineda. He is 6-3 on the year with a 3.76 ERA and pitching like one of the better starters in the American League.
Key Stat
294. That’s how many runs the Yankees have accumulated on the way to their 32-22 start. That’s the second-most in the American League behind only the Houston Astros.
Aaron Judge has been the biggest pleasant surprise. While he was a top prospect, few expected this much success this quickly. Judge is batting .324 with 18 homers, 41 RBIs and an OPS of 1.110. Judge is in the running for the A.L. MVP if he can keep up these fantastic numbers. He is also getting help from Starlin Castro, who is hitting .315 with nine homers and 31 RBIs, as well as Aaron Hicks, who is batting .321 with eight homers and 31 knocked in.
New York’s lineup is deep and talented and they should be able to keep this up.
Home Run Drought
The Red Sox have put up solid offensive numbers thus far but have the ability for more. Nobody on the team has reached double digit home runs yet, with Mookie Betts closest with nine big flies.
Boston has missed the thunderous bat of David Ortiz in the middle of the lineup, but even if the home runs don’t come as much this season, the group should still be good. Betts, Xander Bogaerts, Andrew Benintendi and Dustin Pedroia all have good plate discipline and should get on-base at a solid clip, which is always going to help keep rallies alive.
Hanley Ramirez and Mitch Moreland are a pair of veterans in the middle of the lineup who should get their fair share of big hits. The Red Sox are only two games behind New York and have the more talented roster.
The Yankees will likely be favored to win this series, but it would not be a surprise to see Boston capture two of the three contests.
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook!
