The last time Jesse Chavez pitched against the New York Yankees (44-38 SU, -1.38 Units), he put together one of the most inspired efforts of the season by a pitcher for the Oakland Athletics (38-47 SU, -17.75 Units).
He'll look for more of that on Thursday on getaway day in the Bronx.
ODDS ANALYSIS
The Yankees have been interesting for bettors this year, if nothing else. They have a winning record at home (23-15), and that's why they aren't more units below .500 on the season. However, they’re just 18-20 against the run-line in the Bronx, way off from their 24-20 on the road against baseball's version of the spread.
PITCHING MATCHUP
The last time these two met, Chavez was fantastic, throwing eight shutout innings en route to a 3-0 victory. Since then though, the righty has been nothing but average at best. He has a 5.00 ERA since the start of June, and though he did have one awesome game against San Diego in which he struck out 11, he hasn't had more than five strikeouts in a game since that point.
We really wonder if Masahiro Tanaka is about set to get shut down for the year. Everyone knows that it's a matter of when, not if he is going to have to have Tommy John surgery, and after allowing 16 runs in his last 16 innings of work over three starts, one has to wonder if that time is coming sooner rather than later.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"(I'm) not satisfied. It's a step forward. I had pretty bad two outings, so if you look at that, today was a good step forward. Next time out, (I've) got to be careful and try to get it going from the get go." – Yankees starter Masahiro Tanaka (through a translator) after his last start against the Rays
SITUATIONAL BETTING
Tyler Clippard has been good as the Oakland closer of late, but we are really concerned about how interesting he has made games. Yes, he has four straight scoreless frames under his belt, but in his last six appearances, he’s needed to throw at least 23 pitches, uncharacteristic of a closer for sure.
Normally, that's a sign that a blown save could be right around the corner, and a disastrous one at that.
PROP TALK
Few figured that Alex Rodriguez was going to end up hitting .284 this season at the All-Star break this year, but he is still swinging a hot stick. He’s hit safely in four straight games coming into this series, and he is really flashing a lot of power as well.
If A-Rod keeps up this pace, he'll flirt with 30 homers and 90 RBIs, numbers which were unimaginable after last season's suspension.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
Tanaka is poison right now, and we want no part of him under any circumstance. We're going to get a nice price on the A's as underdogs with Chavez on the mound, which would be good enough in and of itself.
Fading away on the Japanese star is just an added bonus here. Tanaka isn't right, and we clearly see it. Maybe he comes out and has a good game against a bad offense, but we’d rather bet on him doing nothing of the sort. It's only a matter of time until Joe Girardi and the New York brass realize that Tanaka needs to be shut down.
Oakland 8, New York 4
The baseball betting odds for this Thursday game will first be available at BookMaker Sportsbook. BookMaker is going to have multiple betting options available for this televised baseball matchup. Live wagering during commercials offers an adjusted moneyline, individual inning run totals and next hitter results. Log in and start gambling during the game now!
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 or tablet. Don't miss out on getting paid because you couldn't bet. Click here and deposit at BookMaker now! The duel between the Oakland Athletics and the New York Yankees will take place Thursday, July 9, 2015 at 1:05 p.m. ET at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, NY. Catch the action live on the MLB Network.
