Fading the Yankees, especially when they are on a tear, is a risky proposition. But with Brett Anderson having such a great July, today seems like a good day to take that risk.
Whether they are winning or losing, the New York Yankees are always being bet on. Bettors almost always have to pay a premium to get money down on the Yankees, as the public adoration of the pinstripes and their daunting lineups almost always allow the books to squeeze in a little extra juice.
When the Yankees are hot, the prices on them skyrocket even more. And the Yankees are red-hot.
Winners of seven straight and 20 of their last 25 (20 of their last 22 against teams not named the Los Angeles Angels), Yankees backers have been rewarded handsomely in their torrent run into first place in the AL East.
Conventional wisdom might say "if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it". But when I see a pitcher that has been pitching at the level that Brett Anderson is pitching at right now going off at +185, that just isn’t something I can pass up on.
After struggling a bit in the middle of June, Anderson had a very nice start to end the month, going 5.1 innings and giving up one run while striking out seven in a win over Detroit.
Building on that effort, Anderson has had a near perfect July;
Three starts, 21.0 IP, seven hits, three walks, zero runs, 18 strikeouts.
That’s a 0.00 ERA, a 0.48 WHIP, and a .101 batting average against.
You would think a run like this would be against cupcake opponents, but it definitely was not. One of those games was a complete game nine strikeout shutout in Boston (at +180), another was four shutout innings in Tampa Bay (left with some lower back stiffness), and the most recent was eight shutout innings against the red-hot Los Angeles Angels.
With the mostly reliable Joba Chamberlain on the mound and the departure of the Athletics’ best bat in Matt Holliday (traded to the Cardinals), it isn’t too difficult to see the Yankees keeping their hot streak going tonight. But at this price, Brett Anderson has just been pitching too out-of-this-world to not take a stab on.
The Pick: Oakland A’s ML +185