The New York Yankees (11-6) won the series opener against the Atlanta Braves (11-8) on Tuesday night, as a meeting of Eastern Division leaders featured 15 runs in a 9-6 Yankee win. The teams met again on Wednesday night to continue the series. The Braves remain in a virtual tie with Miami atop the division, with both teams three games over .500 (although the Marlins have played seven fewer games). The Yankees lead Tampa Bay by 1 ½ games and have posted a perfect 5-0 record at Yankee Stadium this season.
Take a look at our baseball betting preview of this midweek matchup that represents a possible World Series matchups.
MLB Game: Atlanta Braves at N.Y. Yankees (August 12)
Game Details:
When: Wednesday, August 12, 2020, 7:05 pm ET
Where: Yankee Stadium, The Bronx, NY
TV: No National Broadcast
Radio: WCNN 680 AM Atlanta / WFAN 660 AM New York City
Live Stream: MLB.tv
MLB Betting Lines:
MLB Odds:
Atlanta +120 –
New York -134
O/U 9.5 | Check the Odds
Projected Pitching Matchup:
Huascar Ynoa (0-0, 3.86 ERA) (ATL)
Masahiro Tanaka (0-0, 1.17 ERA) (NY)
Why should you Bet on Atlanta?
Huascar Ynoa makes his second start of the season for Atlanta. On August 9, he served as the opener against Philadelphia in one end of a doubleheader, going 2 ⅓ innings and holding the Phillies to one earned run on one hit, striking out one and walking one. The Braves would go on to win that game, 5-2, but a starting pitcher has to complete five innings to qualify for a win according to MLB scoring rules. Even so, he looks like he can deliver dominant stuff while he remains in the game, but it will be interesting to see how far the Braves stretch him in terms of innings.
The Braves continue to struggle without Mike Soroka in the starting rotation. The starters have posted the 26th best ERA in Major League Baseball, but the bullpen is holding things together with baling wire, posting the fifth-best ERA. Luckily, the offense has been firing on all cylinders as no team has scored more runs than the Braves. Nick Markakis decided to opt back into the season, which will help their bats even more. But can they slow down the equally hot Yankee offense?
Why should you Put your Money on the Yankees?
Masahiro Tanaka has had two bad-luck starts this season, so a minuscule ERA has still failed to yield him any wins. His season debut came on August 1 against Boston, and he threw 2 ⅔ innings of four-hit, two-run (one earned) ball, striking out three and walking one. The Yankees would win, 5-2, but he did not pitch long enough to qualify for the win. He faced Tampa Bay on August 7 and lasted five scoreless innings, permitting just one hit and fanning five, but the Yankee bats went silent in a 1-0 loss. The bullpen gave up the run, which is why the decision did not go to Tanaka. I see no reason why he can’t continue to throw just as well against the Braves, despite their high-octane offense.
The Yankees started out with an 8-1 record and have fallen back to earth a bit, dropping five of their last eight. Giancarlo Stanton is now on the injured list with a hamstring strain, so his hot bat is out of the lineup. Gleyber Torres and Gary Sanchez have seen their averages drop below .200, and the starters have a combined ERA around 5.00 — making Tanaka’s work even more important. They did pound the Braves for nine runs on Tuesday, and they only have to work around an opener on Wednesday night.
Final Score and Prediction
I like Tanaka to get that elusive first win of the season. He won’t shut the Braves out, but the Yankees will do enough damage against the Atlanta pitching staff to create plenty of offensive cushion. My score prediction is New York 7, Atlanta 3.
Braves vs Yankees | Check the MLB Odds before the game goes off the board!
