Game: Los Angeles Angels at New York Yankees
Time: 7:05 p.m. ET
Starting Pitchers: Jose Suarez vs. Gerrit Cole
Odds: Angels +225, Yankees -245
Somehow, the New York Yankees are managing to keep their postseason hopes alive. No MLB team has had more players on the injured list since the All-Star break than New York. No MLB team has more wins since the break either. The Yankees are 19-9 since the All-Star game.
Tonight, they will take on the Angels in a makeup game from earlier this season. The game also marks the return of Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole. Cole last pitched on July 29 and has been out of the lineup due to the coronavirus. Normally, when Cole pitches bettors can look to back him and the Yankees and/or play the Under. That may not be the case tonight.
Cole actually lost his last two starts and in the most recent, a 14-0 loss to Tampa Bay, he gave up an uncharacteristic seven earned runs in 5.1 innings. His bout with COVID-19 did cause some weight loss and fatigue. It will be interesting to see how long he lasts tonight. Cole is still the better pitcher in tonight’s matchup and he is one of the reasons why New York is such a big (-245) favorite.
The Angels actually played at home last night beating Houston 3-1. They then hopped on a plane to get to New York for tonight’s game. LA will go with left-hander Jose Suarez who has pitched from the bullpen and has started this season. Suarez has started six games for the Angels this season and LA has won just two of those. Both wins happened to be on the road. Suarez is 5-5 on the season with a 3.90 ERA.
Since being added to the Angels starting rotation, Suarez has allowed at least three runs in four straight starts. He also hasn’t lasted more than 5.2 innings in any of his last three starts. The issue there is that once Suarez exits the game, the pitching is then turned over to the Angels bullpen. LA relievers have struggled all season long. Over the last month, the Angels bullpen ranked 22nd in ERA. For the season, they rank 23rd at 4.66.
Cole is likely to exit the game early as well coming off the bout with the coronavirus. The Yankees bullpen is typically very good though they have had their shortcomings recently. New York’s problem is that their best reliever, Jonathan Loaisiga, will be unavailable after having been used two days in a row. Aroldis Chapman is still on the injured list and Lucas Luetge also pitched two days in a row. The bottom line is that the Yankees bullpen will be hurting too.
With the Yankees such an overwhelming favorite, there may be more value in New York at home on the run line. Remember, they have managed to win 19 of their last 28 games. There may be even more value on the total where the two teams could potentially score a lot of runs once the starting pitchers exit the game. Tonight’s total is 8.5.