The New York Yankees lost three in a row last week, but they still might be the hottest team in baseball. Can they build on another run as they finish off a series in the Bronx with the Cleveland Indians Tuesday and Wednesday? Find out where we are placing our MLB picks for the final two games of the series.
Indians vs. Yankees:
The Lowdown
New York took the opener of this series Monday night 7-1,
scoring two runs in each of the first three innings, then breezing home from
there behind a quality start from Hiroki Kuroda. The Yanks won as -160 favorites, and covered on the MLB betting lines at a price of
around +125. Also, with the Indians managing just five hits, the game stayed
'under' its total of 9.5.
So the Yankees, winners of 23 of their last 30 games and at
44-28 overall, lead the AL East by three games over second-place Baltimore.
The Indians, meanwhile, at 37-35 and losers of three in a
row, now sit in second place in the AL Central, a half-game back of the
first-place White Sox.
The Tribe has been having problems scoring lately, pushing
just five runs across the plate over their last four games.
The Yanks, on the other hand, lead the Majors in homers with
115 and hit three more Monday night.
Wednesday's Pitching Matchup
Ubaldo Jimenez (7-5, 4.59) gets the call for Cleveland Wednesday (1:05 E) against Andy Pettitte (3-3, 3.29) for the Yanks.
Jimenez is only six-for-14 on quality starts this year, but the Tribe is 8-6 in his starts. For the season his numbers aren't great, but he's been good this month of June. In his latest outing Jimenez held Houston scoreless on four hits through 6 2/3 innings, and over his last four starts he's allowed six ER in 26 1/3 innings.
Jimenez started once against the Yanks last year and got a win, giving up two runs on four hits over seven innings.
Pettitte is five-for-eight on QS this year, and New York is 5-3 in those games. He recently had a run of three quality outings in a row, but in his last start he gave up five runs in the first inning against the Mets, although he then pitched five innings of scoreless ball after that.
Lefty Pettitte would seem to have an edge on the Indians, who are two games above .500 on the season but just 5-15 vs. left-handed starters.
Wednesday's Free MLB Pick
Again, with Jimenez looking better recently, Wednesday's pitching matchup looks about even. But the Indians, with their heavy lefty lineup, have struggled against left-handed pitching. So we'll go with Pettitte and the Yankees for our free MLB pick for Wednesday.
Tuesday's Pitching
Matchup
For Tuesday night's pitching matchup Cleveland will throw Justin Masterson (4-6, 3.98) against Phil Hughes (7-6, 4.94) for New York.
Masterson is eight-for-14 this year on quality starts and
comes into this game on a run of three in a row. In his most recent outing last
Wednesday against Cincinnati Masterson was masterful, giving up just three hits and
one unearned run, walking none and striking out nine in a complete-game
victory. And over his last three starts he's allowed just one earned run on 12
hits in 23 innings.
Masterson started once last year against the Yankees and picked
up a win by throwing eight shut-out innings.
Hughes is just five-for-14 on quality starts this season. He
had a steak of three in a row earlier this month, picking up three straight
victories by allowing four ER in 21 innings, but in his last outing he got
clipped for six runs on six hits, including four homers, in just 4 1/3 innings against Atlanta last Wednesday.
On the season Hughes has allowed 85 hits, including 19
homers, in 78 innings.
Last year Hughes started once against Cleveland, giving up two
ER on six hits in five innings.
Tuesday's Betting
Line
In surfing the top online baseball betting shops Tuesday morning, the
best price we found on the Yankees for Tuesday's game was the -150 offered at
Pinnacle, while the best number on the Indians was the +142 at Matchbook.
New York can also be gotten at +130 on the run line at
Bovada.
Finally, most shops are listing the 'over/under' on
Tuesday's game at 9.5.
In early betting on Tuesday's game action on the side has
leaned toward the Yanks by a 65-35 percent margin, while play on the total has
been split just about right down the middle.
Tuesday night is also Derek Jeter's birthday, for those who care, so will the Yankees' capitan hit one deep for his birthday?
Tuesday's Free MLB Pick
Masterson and Hughes have both been good in recent weeks, so the pitching matchup is about a wash. But New York is hot, and Cleveland is, well, a little cold, especially with the bats. So we'll go with the Yanks for our free MLB Tuesday pick.
Wednesday's Pitching
Matchup
Ubaldo Jimenez (7-5, 4.59) gets the call for Cleveland
Wednesday (1:05 E) against Andy Pettitte (3-3, 3.29) for the Yanks.
Jimenez is only six-for-14 on quality starts this year, but
the Tribe is 8-6 in his starts. For the season his numbers aren't great, but
he's been good this month of June. In his latest outing Jimenez held Houston
scoreless on four hits through 6 2/3 innings, and over his last four starts
he's allowed six ER in 26 1/3 innings.
Jimenez started once against the Yanks last year and got a win,
giving up two runs on four hits over seven innings.
Pettitte is five-for-eight on QS this year, and New York is
5-3 in those games. He recently had a run of three quality outings in a row,
but in his last start he gave up five runs in the first inning against the Mets,
although he then pitched five innings of scoreless ball after that.
Lefty Pettitte would seem to have an edge on the Indians,
who are two games above .500 on the season but just 5-15 vs. left-handed
starters.
Wednesday's Free MLB
Pick
Again, with Jimenez looking better recently, Wednesday's
pitching matchup looks about even. But the Indians, with their heavy lefty
lineup, have struggled against left-handed pitching. So we'll go with Pettitte
and the Yankees for our free MLB pick for Wednesday.