A year after selling off pieces to assemble one of the game’s best farm system, the New York Yankees have employed some of that system to make a run here in 2017. It was a rather quick turnaround for the Bronx Bombers who are now well positioned to make a deep run after reinforcing a few of the team’s weaknesses. They’ll face an aging Detroit Tigers squad in a best of three series beginning on Monday.
This series will be contested from Monday, July 31, 2017 through Wednesday, August 2, 2017 at Yankee Stadium in New York. Wednesday’s game will be shown on MLB Network for those outside the local television markets.
Bet on MLB odds at BookMaker.eu every day of the season.
Pitching Matchups
For now, the rotations lineup to matchup a couple young aces on Monday before a few aging vets on Tuesday and struggling former aces on Wednesday.
For Monday’s matchup, the two young aces mean Michael Fulmer and Luis Severino will both be on the bump.
Fulmer’s history against the Bronx Bombers is limited, but he held them scoreless last year. He’s also coming off a solid eight-innings against the Royals in his last start. That was a bit of a bounce back after a rough start the outing before.
The reigning AL Rookie of the Year is 10-8 with a 3.35 ERA in his second big league season. He’s leading the team with 134.1 innings and has a 1.102 WHIP. Not only has he done a good job keeping batters off base, he’s done well keeping the ball in the park, too, giving up only nine long balls.
For Fulmer, the only area of weakness is a lower 6.4 strikeout to walk ratio. Fulmer is not one to rake up the strikeouts, instead preferring to induce weak contact. That can keep him in the game longer, which really helps given the Tigers’ poor bullpen. That, however, can also lead to some struggles if the opposition can get the balls to fall just right.
Severino looked good in his last start. He’s now 7-4 with a 3.03 ERA and 1.089 WHIP in 127.2 innings. Unlike Fulmer, he’s done well with the strikeouts, striking out 10.2 per nine innings, he’s also done well keeping the walks and homers in check.
The Yankee’s young righty has thrown seven innings in four straight starts and has allowed four total earned runs in those four starts. That’s great, but there is some concern on his innings. He has already thrown well over 50 more big league innings than last year and fatigue could be a factor at any time.
On Tuesday, Anibal Sanchez starts for the Tigers opposite of C.C. Sabathia.
Sanchez earned his way back into the rotation and looked good for a bit. The luster has worn off some. He’s allowed 12 runs over his last three games, combining for only 15.1 innings. He lasted just 3.2 innings against the Royals in his last start.
Overall, Sanchez is 2-1 with a 6.18 ERA and 1.542 WHIP combined between the rotation and the pen.
Sabathia’s season has been more effective. A DL stint aside, Sabathia has settled in as a solid mid-rotation arm. His velocity and stuff isn’t what it once was, but the veteran still knows out to get outs. He’s 9-3 with a 3.66 ERA though his strikeout to walk ratio is just 2.06.
This series wraps on Wednesday as Jordan Zimmermann and Masahiro Tanaka square off.
Zimmermann showed the curveball that made him a top of the rotation starter in the past during his last start, holding a potent Astros team to three runs in seven frames. During those seven innings, he threw just 80 pitches as he lived in and around the zone. That’s a good sign, but the righty is 6-8 with a 5.69 ERA.
Tanaka’s ERA remains north of five, too. He’s 8-9 with a 5.09 ERA and has allowed 27 homers in 123.2 innings.
The Tigers will try and take advantage of Tanaka’s struggles keeping the ball in the park, though Zimmermann has struggled with that, too.
On the positive side for the Yankees, Tanaka has looked better lately. He went eight innings, allowing just one run and two hits in his last start.
Who's Hot?
Tommy Kahnle and Dave Robertson have really helped this bullpen for the Yankees. They’ve combined for 11.1 innings since the trade with Chicago, giving up two runs—both on homers given up by Robertson.
Meanwhile, Adam Warren has continued to produce while Aroldis Chapman may be getting back on track. He’s struck out nine in nine innings since the break. Dellin Betances has bounced back from a couple rough outings, too, allowing one run in his last 8.2 innings while striking out 14.
Flipping over to the offense, Didi Gregorius is batting .361 since the break with a team leading six homers and 16 RBIs. Brett Gardner has a .397 OBP since the break and Chase Headley looks like an offensive threat again. The streaky third baseman has been an issue from time to time, but he’s hitting .377 since the break with a .421 OBP as it’s been clearly documented that the Bronx Bombers are looking for an upgrade.
In Detroit, Victor Martinez’s career may not be quite over. He’s getting on base at a .403 clip since the break. Jose Iglesias and even Justin Upton have been swinging well in the last couple of weeks, but there’s just not enough there to be a big threat down the stretch unless some of the bigger name underperformers step up.
Who's Not?
It seems a bit unfair to criticize Aaron Judge given his impressive season. He’s hit three homers since the break which isn’t bad, but he’s batting just .170 overall. While he does have 12 walks and, consequently, a .313 OBP, he’s struck out in 23 of his 53 at bats as he’s looked more like the 2016 Judge than the 2017 version. Regardless of what moves this team makes, if Judge struggles for a prolonged period, this team struggles, too.
Matt Holliday is another player this team relies on to produce. The veteran DH is a consistent bat in an otherwise young lineup, but he’s hitting .148 since the break.
For the Tigers, Alex Avila—who was a surprise for Detroit in the first half—is just 3-for-31 since the break. Meanwhile, Miguel Cabrera’s down season has continued with a .218 average and .582 OPS in 14 games since the All-Star break.
Suddenly, the Tigers look old and Miggy’s struggles are a big part of that. There’s no doubt the team misses J.D. Martinez’s bat since dealing him to Arizona.
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!
