The New York Yankees and Oakland Athletics will meet in the American League Wild Card Game on Wednesday night. The winner will advance to the ALDS to meet the number one overall seed, Boston Red Sox. The Yankees and Athletics split their six-game series during the regular season.
The New York Yankees finished the 2018 regular season with a 100-62 record to finish in second place in the American League East. The Oakland Athletics won 97 games during the regular season but finished six games behind the Houston Astros in the American League West division. The New York Yankees are -190 over the Athletics on Wednesday night.
Severino To Start For Yanks
Yankees manager Aaron Boone had several options as starter for this game, but he chose young right-hander Luis Severino. Severino had a terrific 2018 regular season, going 19-8 with a 3.39 earned run average. The hard throwing 24-year old made two starts against the A’s during the regular season and had mixed results in those starts. The Yankees will keep Severino on a very short leash in this game.
Giancarlo Stanton had a monster season in his first year with the Yankees in 2018. The DH/outfielder hit 38 home runs and drove in 100 runs to power the Yankees team. New York had twelve different players reach double digits home runs this season, and hit a record 267 of them as a team.The Yankees hope to find some offense in this game against a talented Athletics pitching staff.
Oakland Giving Ball To Bullpen
The Oakland Athletics are planning on using their dominant bullpen in this game in hopes of advancing to the ALDS. Liam Hendriks has been named the “opener” for this game, but he is expected to pitch just one inning. The Athletics made a ton of moves to strengthen their bullpen before the trade deadline, and they are expected to use up to ten of their pitchers in this game.
Oakland Athletics left fielder Khris Davis had an impressive 2018 season, and he led the American League in home runs with 48 blasts. Davis also drove in 123 runs, and the A’s tallied the third most runs in the Major Leagues this season. Oakland can hit for power, but will need to string a few hits together in this game to pose a real threat to the Yankees.
Yankees Win, Advance to ALDS
The Oakland Athletics are in this game because of their bullpen, and they will use their bullpen exclusively in trying to earn the victory. The Athletics have a ton of proven veterans in their lineup, and they will be up to the challenge in this game.
The Yankees were expected to win the AL East this season, but couldn’t keep up with the red hot Red Sox. New York has the power to slug their way to a World Series title, and they will get off to a good start in this game. Bet the New York Yankees -190 over the Red Sox in the AL Wild Card Game.
