New York Yankees at Houston Astros (Game 2) Betting Preview
American League powerhouses will square off on Thursday in a day-night doubleheader as the New York Yankees (64-28) take on the Houston Astros (59-32). The Astros will host this one at Minute Maid Park, with the first pitch in the second game scheduled for 6:40 pm ET.
With the best record in baseball, the Yankees struggled a bit down the stretch as they are 5-5 in their last ten games prior to the All-Star break. They were able to win their last series against the Red Sox three games to two. They outscored Boston 27-3 in the final two games.
Houston holds the second-best record in the American League, and they have won six of their last ten games. Despite their success, they did drop their last series to the lowly A’s, including a 4-3 loss last Sunday.
As of Thursday morning, the odds for the second game of the doubleheader had still not been posted.
Yankees Look To Pick Up Where They Left Off
For the first half of the season, the New York Yankees absolutely dominated the AL East. They currently hold a 13-game lead in the division, which is remarkable considering every team in the division has a .500 record or higher.
New York manager Aaron Boone will turn to lefty Jordan Montgomery in the night game. When these two matched up last, Montgomery was the only New York pitcher not to throw in the series. In 18 games, he is 3-2 with a 3.26 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, and has 80 strikeouts in 102 innings.
In his last three starts, Montgomery has allowed just six runs over 16.2 innings. In that span, he allowed 14 hits while striking out 16.
Slugger Giancarlo Stanton returns to the lineup as an All-Star game MVP. In 279 at bats this season, Stanton is hitting .237/.319/.516 with 24 home runs, 61 runs batted in, and 40 runs scored.
Their best offensive asset is Aaron Judge. Currently, the second favorite to win the AL MVP (+130), Judge is hitting .284/.364/.618 with a team-leading 33 home runs, 70 runs batted in, and 74 runs scored.
Astros Try To Close Gap On Best Record In Baseball
At 59-32, the Astros would love to close the gap with the New York Yankees for the best record in baseball. While they still hold a nine-game lead, they also are trying to fend off a red-hot Seattle Mariners team in the AL West.
On the mound for Houston on Thursday will be righty Luis Garcia. In 16 games, Garcia is 7-5 with a 3.65 ERA and 1.06 WHIP, and he has 94 strikeouts in 88.2 innings.
In his last start, Garcia picked up a no-decision after going six innings, allowing one run on one hit while striking out seven versus the Los Angeles Angels.
Offensively, the Astros will get a huge boost as slugger Yordan Alvarez is expected to return to the lineup. In 268 at bats, Alvarez is hitting .306/.405/.653 with 26 home runs, 60 runs batted in, and 57 runs scored.
All-Star Kyle Tucker has also been sensational. He is hitting .252/.344/.475 with 18 home runs, 40 runs scored and leads the team in both runs batted in (62) and stolen bases (15).
Take The Runline And The Under
While the Yankees have the best record in baseball, they have certainly been tested by the Astros. In fact, they have lost four of their last six against Houston. Still, with the league’s best offense (5.40 runs per game), they have the ability to get to any pitcher.
Despite having two of the best offenses in baseball, the under has hit five the last seven times these two have squared off at Minute Maid Park. This is because these two teams also have two of the top three pitching staffs in the game when it comes to team earned run average.
Expect that this game could be close throughout. For that reason, take the +1.5 runline and don’t hesitate to bet the under.
