Sergio Mitre isn't the best the Yankees have to offer when it comes to starting pitching, but the way they have been rolling of late, it doesn't seem to matter who they send out there.
When the Yankees are hot, sometimes it isn’t a bad idea to just hop on the train and enjoy the ride for a little while. The problem, of course, is that tickets are usually awfully expensive when the Yankees are hot.
Winners of seven straight (including a four game sweep of Boston and a two game sweep of Toronto) and 18 of their last 23, the Yankees are cruising right along. The pitching has been getting the job done for the Yankees; and when it hasn’t been, the offense is there to bail them out.
Getting a Yankees team on a seven game winning streak at home at only -140 isn’t something you are going to see very often, especially when they aren’t facing an ace. But with Sergio Mitre on the mound, bettors are quickly running to the windows for the fade and taking the +money on the Blue Jays.
Mitre has not done much this season. In four starts he has an ugly 7.50 ERA, and he hasn’t made it through five innings in his last two starts. That said, the Yankees have won three of the four games he has taken the mound in; including the last time these two pitchers faced in Toronto on August 5th. At home Mitre has lasted at least five innings in both starts, surrendering four runs both times. With this Yankee offense, that could be enough.
Marc Rzepczynski is a great prospect who has done a good job making batters miss this season, fanning 37 batters in 33.2 IP. He has surrendered three or more runs in four of his six starts this season, including his last trip out against the Yankees at home. This time facing the Yankee offense on their hitter-friendly turf, four runs or more may happen again.
As good as Rzepczynski has been, the Blue Jays are 1-5 in his six starts. He also hasn’t gone deeper than six innings in any of his games, meaning the Yankees should get a good look at Toronto’s rocky bullpen.
We are definitely taking the lesser of the two pitchers, but I think the Yankees bats and momentum will neutralize that tonight.
The Pick: New York Yankees -140