The New York Yankees lost to Tampa Bay by a 14-0 tally on Thursday, leaving them 8 ½ games back of Boston in the American League East and 3 ½ games behind Oakland for the second wild card in the junior circuit. They made two moves to bolster their hitting at the trade deadline, sending a crew of prospects to Texas for Joey Gallo and also trading for All-Star first baseman Phil Rizzo, formerly of the Chicago Cubs. Can the bats get the Yankees out of their doldrums, especially with Aaron Judge coming back? We will see.
In the meantime, don’t miss our top MLB betting picks from this weekend’s action.
MLB News: Your Best Bets This Weekend
Saturday, July 31
Boston Red Sox at Tampa Bay Rays (6:10 pm ET)
Pitchers: Nathan Eovaldi (9-5, 3.49 ERA) (BOS) vs Ryan Yarbrough (6-4, 4.38 ERA) (TB)
Nathan Eovaldi got shelled in his last start before the All-Star break, giving up five runs on nine hits in 5 ⅔ innings against the Angels. Since the break, though, he has been back to ace-level pitching, holding the Yankees to three runs on nine hits over 12 ⅔ innings in two starts combined, striking out 15 while fanning just one. However, the Boston offense only scored four runs in those two games, both losses for the Sox. Overall, Boston’s offense has remained strong in the second half.
The Rays counter with Ryan Yarbrough, who started the second half in ugly fashion, getting tagged for six runs on eight hits over 5 ⅔ innings by the lowly Baltimore Orioles on July 19. However, he went to Cleveland and threw seven innings of one-run, five-hit ball on Sunday. Unfortunately, he was denied the win as the Tribe got to the bullpen and won, 3-2. Both of these pitchers are coming in off strong outings, so this will end up in the hands of the bullpens.
Final Prediction:
Rays 4, Red Sox 2
Cleveland Indians at Chicago White Sox (7:10 pm ET)
Pitchers: Triston McKenzie (1-4, 5.61 ERA) (CLE) vs Dallas Keuchel (7-4, 4.32 ERA) (SOX)
Cleveland has won three of the last four games in which Triston McKenzie has appeared on the mound. On July 9, he threw seven innings of shutout ball, holding the Kansas City Royals to a single hit while fanning nine. He also threw well on Sunday against the Rays, holding Tampa Bay to a pair of runs over five hits in six innings, fanning six while walking one.If this stuff holds, the White Sox will have a hard time getting on base.
Dallas Keuchel has benefited from strong run support, as the White Sox scored 21 runs in his last two wins, coming against Baltimore on July 9 and Minnesota on July 20. He last started on Monday in Kansas City, permitting four runs on six hits — including three home runs — while striking out three and walking one in six innings. Keuchel does not usually allow that many long balls, and he will need to keep the ball down against the Indians.
Final Prediction:
White Sox 3, Indians 2
Sunday, August 1
Houston Astros at San Francisco Giants (4:05 pm ET)
Pitchers: Luis Garcia (7-5, 3.19 ERA) (HOU) vs Logan Webb (4-3, 3.36 ERA) (SF)
Luis Garcia looks to bounce back from his last start, a 4 ⅔ inning affair in Seattle where he gave up give runs on six hits over 4 ⅔ innings. In his two previous starts, he gave up one run on five hits over 11 innings combined in wins over the A’s and the Indians, striking out 15. The Houston offense has scored 17 runs in Garcia’s last two starts, so run support shouldn’t be a problem.
Logan Webb has only permitted more than one earned run in one of his last five starts — and in that start against the Dodgers on July 21, he only permitted two. The Giants have won the last five games he has started, with three of those coming against the Dodgers and the other two coming against the Nationals and the Cardinals. He’ll need to keep the ball down against the powerful Houston offense, but if he can do that, the Giants should keep their winning ways going.
Final Prediction:
Giants 4, Astros 3
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