Featured Game: New York Yankees (-130 / 9 -110) vs. Houston Astros
Time: 8:10pm ET / 5:10 pm PT
Television: MLB Network, MLB.tv, YES, SCHN, SN1 (Canada)
Pitchers: Will Warren (NYY) vs. Jason Alexander (Houston)
The New York Yankees haven’t been known for elite defense dating back to last season, but in last night’s series-opening win, they delivered a standout performance behind Max Fried (15-5). Defensive gems from Ryan McMahon at third base and a quietly effective outing from Giancarlo Stanton in left field helped secure the victory.
Tonight, the Yankees turn to Will Warren (8-6, 4.30 ERA), who’s seen a dip in strikeout production—just 9 Ks over his last 13.2 innings. He’ll need strong defensive support again to keep the Astros in check.
While the Yankees bullpen ranks 21st in MLB with a 4.23 ERA, they’ve been lights-out recently, posting a 1.59 ERA over their last 22.2 innings. Even Paul Blackburn contributed two scoreless frames last night, trimming his ERA to 9.82 since joining New York.
On the other side, the Houston Astros offense has struggled with consistency. They’ve scored just 12 runs over their last five games, with eight of those coming against the Angels tow days ago (8-3). Remove that outlier, and Houston has managed only 15 runs in their last eight contests.
Jason Alexander (4-1, 4.61 ERA) has been a bright spot for Houston since arriving from Oakland. He’s posted a 2.96 ERA with the Astros, allowing less than a hit per inning and showing improved command.
From a betting perspective, this matchup doesn’t offer confidence in either offense contributing enough to justify an over. With both teams leaning on pitching and recent scoring trends pointing downward, caution is warranted when considering overs.
Pick: under 9 -110