Yankees vs. Athletics Odds
| Yankees Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Moneyline | Total | Run Line |
| -156 | 7.5 -105 / -115 | -1.5 +110 |
| Athletics Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Moneyline | Total | Run Line |
+132 | 7.5 -105 / -115 | +1.5 -132 |
For the New York Yankees, June has been an up-and-down month. After losing four straight to the rival Mets and Red Sox, the Yankees went 4-2 on a homestand against the Mariners and Rangers.
The inconsistent play continued on Tuesday night as they dropped game one of their three-game series, 2-1, against the Athletics.
Oakland had lost nine of its last 10 games entering Tuesday night. Now, it'll look to put together a winning streak as JP Sears will get the start against his former team.
Domingo German will oppose him as the Yankees are favored on the road.
Oddsmakers have the total at eight runs for tonight's game.
New York Yankees
For the Yankees, their struggles this month can be traced to a power outage offensively. In June, the Yankees are last in MLB with a .196 team batting average. They're also 28th in runs scored (3.2 per game) and OPS.
While the Yankees wait for the return of their MVP Aaron Judge, they'll need to get more from Giancarlo Stanton and Josh Donaldson.
Stanton is hitting just .113 this month with two home runs, three runs batted in and a .429 OPS.
Donaldson is hitting .135 this month with just eight hits. However, six of them have been home runs, including a solo shot last night in his return to Oakland.
Stanton and Donaldson may be in line for positive regression soon; each boasts a hard hit percentage of 51% or better, which is well above average.
Pitching has keyed the success for the Yankees as they rank third in MLB team ERA (3.62) and second in opposing batting average (.230) this season. In June, they're sixth in team ERA; however, a pair of rough outings from German hasn't contributed to that cause.
Over his last two starts, German has allowed 17 runs (15 earned runs) and five home runs in 5 1/3 innings. It caused his ERA to swell from 3.49 to 5.10 as a result.
Facing a porous A's offense will give German a chance to bounce back.
Oakland Athletics
Sears may have been a little too amped up when he returned to Yankee Stadium, as he allowed five earned runs and three home runs in 5 1/3 innings.
However, it's also his worst start over the last two months. He's allowed three runs or fewer in eight of his last 10 starts and has a 3.13 ERA in that span.
Unfortunately for him, he hasn't gotten much run support, and he's just 1-3 in that span and 1-5 for the season. It's been the story of the campaign for the Athletics offensively.
They rank last in MLB in runs per game (3.4), OPS and team batting average.
Brent Rooker got off to a hot start in April, but he's hitting just .191 over the last two months. He remains the team leader with 13 home runs, 38 runs batted in and a .800 OPS.
The Athletics rely on the speedy Esteury Ruiz to pace the offense, either from the leadoff spot or out of the nine hole. He's second on the team with 31 runs scored.
He also leads the MLB with 40 stolen bases. If he gets on, look for him to be on the move as Yankees catcher Jose Trevino has thrown out just four of 19 would-be base stealers this season.
Seth Brown has hit two home runs in his last seven games, including his sixth of the season last night. His solo shot in the fourth inning proved to be the difference in last night's victory.
Yankees vs. Athletics Betting Pick
German has a 7.07 ERA in the first inning, but his ERA drops to 3.86 in the second inning and 2.08 in the third. If he gets out of the first inning unscathed, the A's may not score during their first time through the order.
Additionally, several Oakland hitters haven't seen German, and the hitters who have faced him have found limited success (3-for-21).
The Yankees did get to Sears in the last outing, and he's also struggled in the first inning with a 7.20 ERA. It drops to 1.80 in the second inning and 4.80 in the third inning.
The Yankees also haven't scored in the first inning in each of their last six games. One of these teams may push one across in the first inning, but by targeting the total in the first three innings, that would give us a couple of runs to spare.
FanDuel has the total for three innings set at 2.5 runs. The Yankees have scored two runs or fewer in four of their last five games, while the A's have scored two runs or fewer in three of their last five games.
If their offensive struggles continue through the first three innings tonight, we'll cash this under with ease.
