Yankees vs. Rangers Pick
Are the New York Yankees going to post the victory Friday night when they begin a series at the Texas Rangers? First pitch is at 8:05PM EST.
The Yankees are a -160 favorite to win on the moneyline according to sports book Bovada.lv. The Rangers are a +140 underdog and the over-under is set at 10.
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The pitching matchup for tonight has Masahiro Tanaka (11-10, 4.54 ERA) going for the Yankees, while the Rangers counter with Martin Perez (11-10, 4.87). Tanaka carries a 1.23 WHIP with 158 strikeouts in 154 2/3 innings. He gave up one earned run on five hits with three strikeouts and two walks over seven innings in a 5-1 home win over the Red Sox. New York has won four of his starts in a row. Tanaka has a 5.62 ERA in 13 road starts. Perez has a 1.55 WHIP with 98 strikeouts in 157 innings. He allowed three earned runs on nine hits with four strikeouts and two walks over six innings in a 7-6 home win over the Angels his last start. Texas has won six of Perez’ starts in a row, coming directly after a stretch in which it lost four in a row.
New York comes in at 75-64 and is 35-37 on the road, while the Rangers are 70-69 and 37-30 at home. Texas has won two out of three games in the season series with two games going under the total.
The Yankees won two of three games at Baltimore, including Thursday’s 9-1 series finale. Aaron Judge hit his 39th home run, scoring twice and driving in two to go with a walk to lead the charge. Didi Gregorius went 2-for-5 with two doubles, two runs and an RBI. Brett Gardner finished 2-for-3 with two runs and two walks. Chase Headley hit a two-run homer and Todd Frazier added a solo home run. Andrew Romine contributed two hits. Sonny Gray allowed one unearned run in 5 2/3 innings to get the win. The Rangers won two out of three at Atlanta, but dropped Wednesday’s finale 5-4. Nomar Mazara was 2-for-2 with a home run, a walk and two runs scored. Carlos Gomez went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Robinson Chirinos added two doubles. Cole Hamels allowed five runs (four earned) over six innings to get saddled with the loss.
Tanaka is by far the better pitcher in this game and has consistently seen his ERA drop after a rough first couple of months this season. The Yankees had a big series win at Baltimore and should be able to jump all over Perez with their assortment of right-handed power bats.
MLB DAILY PREDICTION: NEW YORK YANKEES -160