CC Sabathia (4-9, 5.23 ERA) and Kyle Gibson (8-9, 3.75 ERA) start in the first of a three-game series between the New York Yankees (64-52) and the Minnesota Twins (59-58) at Yankee Stadium. Action begins at 7:05 p.m. ET on Monday, Aug. 17 and can be seen on WPIX and FSN.
Sabathia pitched 6.0 innings in his most recent start, surrendering two runs, striking out two and walking two in a 2-1 defeat to the Indians. Gibson went 6.0 innings, surrendering two runs, striking out seven and walking two in a 3-2 defeat to the Rangers in his last outing. Eddie Rosario (.277, 41 Rs, 7 HRs, 27 RBIs, 9 SBs) has been successful at the plate, going 2 for 4 yesterday with one run.
New York is a -159 favorite against Minnesota and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at eight runs. The Yankees have recorded an overall money line of +312 and have shown high-level performance as a favorite this season with a record of 39-26. The Yankees have no trouble scoring as they rank second in the AL in offense with 4.8 runs per game. The Yankees are one of the best in the AL in terms of hits with a phenomenal 8.8 per game. New York’s pitching staff has been doing better against opposing offenses during the last 10 games, only allowing an average of 3.0 runs per game, well under their season average of 4.2. Opponents have consistently been struck out by the Yankees, who rank fourth in the AL in strikeouts per home game with 8.7.
In games where it is the underdog, Minnesota has a 43-48 record and an overall money line of +1,025. They played poorly as the underdog over their last 10 games with a 1-5 record, and a 4-6 record SU. The Twins allow 4.5 runs per game, but have damaged those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 6.8 runs per game during that span.
The Yankees lead the season series, 2-1. The Yankees have a 42-38 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Gibson takes the mound. Sabathia (LHP) will be on the hill against the Twins, who have a 21-18 record against left-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – NYY, O/U – Over
Notes
Having scored one run in their last game, the Yankees are going to have to up their game if they want to win this matchup. The Twins have a 20-1 record in games where opponents scored that many runs or fewer.
When they are outhit, the Twins are 10-51. The Yankees have a 12-40 record when opponents outhit them.
Minnesota ranks in the bottom half of the league at 17th when it comes to home runs, hitting 108 this season. New York ranks in the top five at third with 156.
Ranking 13th, Minnesota is in the top half of the league in hits, notching 8.23 per game. New York ranks in the top five at fourth with 8.82.
Ranking 20th, Minnesota is in the bottom half of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.702). New York ranks in the top five at fourth with an OPS of .755.
The Twins are 32-46 when they allow at least one home run. The Yankees perform similarly when they allow one or more homers with a 31-40 record.
