New York Yankees at Oakland Athletics Betting Preview
Sunday Night Baseball will feature an American League matchup of postseason hopefuls as the New York Yankees (76-53) square off with the Oakland Athletics (71-59). Oakland will host this one at the Oakland Coliseum, with the first pitch scheduled for 7:08 pm ET.
This will be the finale of a four-game series between the two teams. After the Yankees took the first two, Oakland won Saturday’s game 3-2.
In the win, Frankie Montas pitched seven shutout innings allowing just two hits and striking out six. Matt Chapman hit his 21st home run of the season.
Nestor Cortes Jr. was tabbed with the loss after going 5.1 innings and allowing three runs. Aaron Judge accounted for the scoring for New York as he hit his 29th home run of the season, a two-run shot in the ninth inning.
The Yankees are the favorites in this one despite playing on the road. They are -142 to win while the Athletics’ moneyline sits at +120. The runline features Oakland +1.5 (-137), while the over/under for total runs is 9.5.
Pitching Matchup
The Yankees will send southpaw Jordan Montgomery (5-5, 3.69 ERA) to the mound Sunday night. He has been really solid as of late. Over his last seven games, he is 2-2 with a 2.61 ERA.
The Athletics will counter with righty Paul Blackburn. On the season, he is 0-1 with a 4.09 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, and has eight strikeouts in 11 innings.
By The Numbers
Offensively, these two teams have been pretty similar this season. The Athletics rank 16th in scoring, averaging 4.44 runs per game (4.14 at home). The Yankees rank 19th averaging 4.39 runs per game.
It is the Yankees who have the edge defensively. They rank fifth in scoring defense allowing opponents an average of 3.96 runs per game. The Athletics rank eighth allowing 3.99 runs per game.
Yankees Try To Start New Streak
With their loss on Saturday, the Yankees had their 13 game winning streak snapped. Their hot streak has propelled them to just 4.5 games back of the Rays in the AL East, and they hold the first Wild Card spot by two games over the Red Sox.
As they try to cut the deficit in the division, the Yankees will hope to get a new winning streak started Sunday.
On the season, outfielder Aaron Judge has led the offense. After adding another home Saturday, he is currently hitting .295/.386/.543 with 29 home runs, 72 runs batted in, and 70 runs scored.
Over the last couple of weeks, it is Giancarlo Stanton who has been their hottest hitter. In his last 14 games, he is hitting .319/.396/.766 with six home runs and 11 runs batted in.
Oakland Has Work To Do For Postseason Spot
For as hot as the Yankees have been, the Athletics have been almost equally as cold. They are 3-7 in their last ten games and have now fallen out of a postseason spot.
The A’s are currently 6.5 games back of the Houston Astros in the AL West and 3.5 games back for the second Wild Card spot.
Oakland only has 32 games left and has the eighth toughest remaining schedule in the majors as their opponents have a combined .514 winning percentage.
Leading the way for Oakland is first baseman Matt Olson. This season, he is hitting .275/.374/.551 with 32 home runs, 83 runs batted in, and 80 runs scored.
Olson has also had success in his career against Jordan Montgomery. Albeit in three at-bats, he is two for three with a home run.
Take The Yankees To Win On The Road
Even with their loss Saturday afternoon, the Yankees are easily one of the hottest teams in baseball.
While the A’s have to start picking up wins in a hurry if they want a chance at a postseason spot, the Yankees certainly have something to play for as well.
In the end, take New York to win the game and win the series Sunday night.
