Athletics vs. Yankees Odds
| Athletics Odds | +245 |
| Yankees Odds | -295 |
| Over/Under | 8.5 (-110/-110) |
| Time | 7:05 p.m. ET |
| TV | MLB.TV |
| Odds via BetMGM. Get up-to-the-minute MLB odds here. | |
We have the first matchup of this three-game series between the AL East's New York Yankees and the AL West's Oakland Athletics. This game is the first between these two clubs this season.
Will the Yankees continue their dominance, or can the Athletics pull off the road upset as a large underdog?
Oakland Athletics: Regression Looming for Blackburn
The Oakland Athletics enter this series in poor form as they have lost 19 of their past 24 outings. I expect this trend to continue as right-hander Paul Blackburn is slated to take the mound for Oakland.
Through 14 starts this season, Blackburn is 6-3 with a 2.97 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP. While these are tremendous surface-level numbers, Blackburn's metrics suggest regression is looming.
Blackburn possesses a .321 xwOBA, .278 xBA, and a .417 xSLG. Following Blackburn is one of the league's worst bullpens.
Since May 1st, the Athletics' relief pitching ranks just 28th in the league in ERA, 24th in BA, 18th in SLG and 25th in wOBA.
New York Yankees: Can Montgomery Keep it Rolling?
The New York Yankees enter this series in great form as they have won 20 of their past 25 outings. I expect this trend to continue as left-hander Jordan Montgomery is slated to take the mound for the Yankees.
Through 14 starts this season, Montgomery is 3-1 with a 2.98 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP. Following Montgomery is a very strong bullpen as the Yankees' relief pitching ranks sixth in the league in ERA, third in BA, second in SLG and second in wOBA since the beginning of May.
This pitching staff should also get plenty of run support as the Yankees are slated to go against right-hander Paul Blackburn. Since May 1st, the Yankees rank fourth in the league in SLG, fourth in OPS and fourth in wOBA when facing right-handed pitchers.
Though it is an incredibly small sample size, it is also worth noting that the current Yankees roster has had success against Blackburn. Through 18 career plate appearances against the Oakland right-hander, this current Yankees lineup boasts a .471 BA, .588 SLG and a .467 wOBA.
Athletics-Yankees Pick
The Yankees should roll past the Athletics in this contest and the heavy juice on both the moneyline and runline suggests just that. While I do not think the juice is worth the squeeze in this situation, we can back the Yankees in another market without paying as steep of a price.
We are going to back the Yankees to reach five runs first in this game at -115, a market and price which is available at DraftKings Sportsbook. The reason the juice is so low in this market is because if neither team reaches five runs, then the bet is graded as a loss.
That being said, the Yankees should get to five runs and definitely should get there first. As I mentioned, Blackburn is due for regression and the Yankees have teed off recently when facing right-handed pitchers.
Through those 18 career plate appearances against Blackburn, this Yankees lineup has had great success. Meanwhile, the Athletics should struggle to score on Montgomery and the Yankees bullpen.
Additionally, the Athletics have failed to score five runs before their opponent in 13 of their past 22 games.
Pick: Race to 5 Runs — New York Yankees (-115) | Play up to (-130)
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