The New York Yankees will kick off their first road-trip of the post-A-Rod era on Friday with a trip to Anaheim to take on the Angels in the first of a three game weekend set. New York swept the Angels in four games at Yankee Stadium earlier this year.
You can bet on MLB odds at BookMaker.eu every day of the season.
ODDS ANALYSIS
Despite trading away Andrew Miller, Carlos Beltran and Aroldis Chapman and despite below average numbers across the board, the Yankees have managed to somehow stay a few games over .500 as of Tuesday while the Angels are 20-games under.
Neither team is considered in the postseason hunt, yet it’s hard to argue that there’s not a clear difference between these two non-contenders.
Of course, New York traveling cross country and playing on the road while the Angels are at home makes a difference and evens the odds, but even with all that the Yankees seem to have the upper hand.
New York is nearly $2,000 better offer in terms of total moneyline than Los Angeles and as of Tuesday has won five of its last six games with its new look squad. The Angels have dropped 11 in a row.
PROBABLE PITCHERS
The Yankees are a rebuilding team. That’s not something we’re used to seeing, but it’s the truth and it plays out when you look at the lineup. The rotation, however, is a bit different. Chad Green is getting a look, but otherwise, the starters are much the same.
While the rotation has had its woes this year, the one solid answer all year has been ace right-hander Masahiro Tanaka.
We’re now most the way through year two of concerns about the state of the 27-year old’s elbow and he’s still going strong.
Despite limited production behind him and a now depleted bullpen, Tanaka’s 9-4 on the year with a 3.40 ERA and 1.096 WHIP in 24 starts. He’s averaging just over six and a third innings per start.
While Tanaka’s been a model of consistency compared to the rest of the rotation, the righty has had his struggles over his last four games. He’s gone 2-2 in those games, but has a 5.55 ERA in those games.
While that ERA is elevated for Tanaka, it’s in line with the line for the Angels’ Jered Weaver who is scheduled to start on Friday.
The 33-year old right-hander has continued his steady decline in 2016 and is just 8-10 with a 5.32 ERA and 1.504 WHIP as his strikeout total has plummeted to just one every two innings. He’s also allowing nearly two more hits per nine innings than he did last year and nearly three more than his career average.
His walks are in line with his career numbers, but he’s allowing a ton of hard hit balls, many of which are going over the fence. He’s already allowed 26 home runs in 23 starts. In fact, the Yankees slammed two in five and a third back in June. Here in August, Weaver is 0-2 in three starts, pitching just 16 1/3 innings, but allowing 14 runs on 27 hits while striking out just four batters.
LIVE BETTING
The team’s two elder statesmen in the lineup are gone with Carlos Beltran in Texas and Alex Rodriguez’s playing days in pinstripes a thing of the past.
With them gone, that’s opened up space on the roster for the Yankees brass to get a look at a collection of rookies including Gary Sanchez, Aaron Judge and Tyler Austin.
All three youngsters have made very strong first impressions. Each have already recorded their first home runs while Sanchez is hitting .302 after 11 games and Judge has delivered an extra base hit in each of his first three games. Right now, the young outfielder is 5-for-10 with a couple walks and a couple blasts.
The three have definitely provided a bit of a spark to this team’s sluggish offense. That’s good considering New York’s lone player with an OPS north of 100 outside the trio is shortstop Didi Gregorius who, coming into the year, was much more of a glove man.
As for the veterans, Chase Headley is getting his numbers back to respectability after a terrible start to the year, but Brian McCann and Mark Teixeira who are supposed to anchor the heart of the order are batting .232 and .199 respectively with just 25 combined homers and 73 combined RBIs here in mid-August.
Of course, the Angels’ don’t have the deepest of lineups either. They do have better talent at the top, however, with Mike Trout putting together another MVP-type season with a .983 OPS, 23 homers, 76 RBIs and 20 steals to go along with a .311 average.
Still, Albert Pujols is only slightly more effective at the plate than Brian McCann this year and Kole Calhoun and Yunel Escobar, while solid players, are not enough to protect Trout in the order and guarantee him pitches to hit.
QUICK PICK
The Angels are struggling. They’re not pitching. They’re not hitting. And, they’re not getting much momentum going at all.
The Yankees aren’t the most competitive team, but they’re playing pretty good baseball right now and have their ace on the hill for Friday’s series opener against a Angels’ pitcher who, quite frankly, has very little left.
Playing at home gives the Angels a bit of a prayer, but they’ve truly been so bad of late that may not even matter. The Yankees at least have a collection of young bats delivering right now. The Angels have Mike Trout and Kole Calhoun and very little else to bank on.
Even a depleted Yankees’ bullpen holds an edge. They at least have Dellin Betances who can still dominate in the backend. With Huston Street on the disabled list and Joe Smith gone, Fernando Salas has gotten what little save chances they’ve had despite a mid-four ERA.
MLB Odds: Yankees 6, Angels 2
Access live betting lines from your mobile device at BookMaker Sportsbook! You can wager on sporting events as they unfold on television with BookMaker’s live betting platform. Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here so start betting with BookMaker today! The ballgame pitting the New York Yankees versus the Los Angeles Angels will commence Friday, August 19, 2016, at 10:05 p.m. ET at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. The contest will be televised nationally on FS1.
