Rangers vs. Yankees Odds
| Rangers Odds | +165 |
| Yankees Odds | -200 |
| Over/Under | 7 (-120 / +100) |
| Time | 1:05 p.m. ET |
| TV | MLB.TV |
| Odds via BetMGM. Get up-to-the-minute MLB odds here. | |
After rattling off an 11-game winning streak to put themselves in first place in the American League East, the Yankees have dropped two of three to the Rangers entering Monday's matinee.
New York should be in an excellent position to bounce back, however, with left-hander Nestor Cortes looking to continue his stellar season this afternoon.
Texas will counter with Jon Gray, who has pitched to a 7.50 ERA but certainly appears due for better results.
Rangers Lineup Needs To Get Going
Texas has not hit the way it was hoping to in 2022, with a number of key players, including Marcus Semien, underperforming so far this year.
The Rangers have hit to just a 90 wRC+ with a .286 wOBA. If there's reason for optimism entering this game, it's that Texas has hit left-handed pitching far better this season, with a 130 wRC+ and a .342 wOBA. Cortes has proven to be one of the tougher southpaws in the AL this year, though.
Gray has appeared significantly worse than expected with his huge 7.50 ERA, but a 3.78 xERA suggests he could find results closer to what we have seen in 2021.
Gray's lowly 4.05 QOPA is quite a negative comment towards his play, however, and his heavy reliance upon the fastball and slider could leave him in a bad spot against a Yankees lineup that has crushed each of those pitches this season.
Cortes Building Off Breakout Rookie Season
New York has hit to a +119 wRC+ with a .326 wOBA vs righties, showing off the power we all expected from the Bronx Bombers this season by leading the league in hard-hit rate at 49.1%.
On the mound, Cortes offered a ton of promise in 2021 with his excellent play at age 26. He has followed that up with a dominant start to the 2022 campaign.
The left-hander has shown excellent command over each of his main three pitches this season and has a 32% strikeout rate, 7.2% walk rate and a 2.20 xERA.
Rangers-Yankees Pick
We should likely see Cortes dominate this Rangers lineup Monday, which will lead the Yankees to a comfortable win. Gray is clearly due for some positive regression, but this might not be the spot to make that happen in the Bronx.
Beyond that, I'll happily run this one into the final few innings with the Yankees' excellent bullpen, which has a clear advantage in this game. I will be playing the Yankees -1.5 at +100 and would play that down to -110.
Pick: New York Yankees -1.5 +105 (Play to -110)
