Astros Turn to Verlander to Solve Nemesis Yankees
When the season began, a series between the Houston Astros and New York Yankees figured to be a clash of teams fighting for American League supremacy. The Yankees have taken care of business with the third-best record in the American League. The Astros, meanwhile, are eight games out of the final playoff spot.
The Yankees have won seven games in a row against the Astros, including a four-game sweep to open the season. Three of those games have been decided by one run. Just one of the last seven games between the teams finished over the total.
The MLB betting line has the Yankees with -111 odds to win Tuesday’s series opener with +170 odds to cover the -1½ run line. Houston comes in at +101 to win outright behind veteran pitcher Justin Verlander.
When looking at MLB futures odds, New York is tied at +325 and Houston is tied for second at +450 in the odds of winning the American League pennant.
Astros vs Yankees Game Information
- Game: Astros (12-22) vs Yankees (23-13)
- Date/Time: Tuesday, May 7, 7:05 p.m. ET
- Location: Yankee Stadium, New York
- Astros vs Yankees Live Stream: MLB.tv
Astros vs Yankees Moneyline Odds and Run Line
Gil Worth Backing in Matchup vs Verlander
Yankees starter Luis Gil was seven years old when Justin Verlander made his MLB debut in 2005. Now Gil is set to make his 14th career MLB start against a pitcher that has started 512 games and won 258.
Justin Verlander is set to make his second start in New York since being traded from the New York Mets in August. In his first outing with the Astros, he allowed two runs in seven innings. Tuesday will be his fourth start of the season.
Gil allowed two hits and no runs in 6⅓ innings in his last start. Gil pitched in one game over the last two seasons, but is making up for lost time.
Can Yankees’ Power Overwhelm Struggling Astros?
It doesn’t take much number crunching to figure out why the New York Yankees are fighting for the best record in the American League while Houston is tied for last place in the AL West Division.
The Yankees lead the majors with 16 home runs and a slugging percentage of .487 with runners in scoring position. Houston’s slugging percentage of .384 with runners in scoring position is 19th in the majors after ranking third in that category during the 2023 season.
Yordan Alvarez is hitting .167 with runners in scoring position with Jose Altuve not much better at .227.
With those numbers, it is not a surprise that the total has gone under in eight of Houston’s last 11 games against American League teams.
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Astros Face Dominant Clay Holmes in Yankees Bullpen
Just a piece of advice to the Astros, it might be a good idea to get to the Yankees early.
If Clay Holmes is called upon to close the game, that might not bode well for the Astros.
Clay Holmes in 16 games:
16.1 IP, 0.00 ERA, 18 SO, 1 BB, 11 SV pic.twitter.com/iPLfYs0g0c
— Talkin’ Yanks (@TalkinYanks) May 4, 2024
Holmes has yet to allow an earned run this season. He hasn’t allowed a hit in six of his 16 appearances this season.
In the season-opening series against the Astros, Holmes was 3-for-3 in save opportunities.
Here’s a look at some MLB odds to consider!
Betting Trends
- The total went under in four of the last five meetings.
- The Yankees are 16-8 as the favorite.
- Houston has split its four games this season as the underdog.
- The Yankees are 6-10 against the run line at home but the Astros have covered in just six of 15 road games.
- Only four of Houston’s 15 road games landed over the total.
- The Yankees are 18-7 when facing a right-handed starting pitcher.
- Twelve of Houston’s last 17 games went under the total.
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Bet Online on Astros to Keep Hitting Streak Alive
Since having back-to-back 15-run games against Milwaukee, the Yankees have scored 18 runs over the last seven games, relying on the pitching to keep New York in games.
Despite being shut out in one of the games, Houston’s offense is showing signs of life with 17 runs over the last four games.
The Yankees are fifth and the Astros are eighth in the majors in home runs.
It might be a surprise to some who bet online that the Astros have better slugging percentage and OPS marks than the Yankees.
There is no rain in the forecast for the series opener with temperatures expected to be in the mid-70s at first pitch.
Questions of the Day
Which team has a better ATS record going into Tuesday's series opener between the Astros and Yankees?
The Yankees are 17-19 against the run line with the Astros posting a 13-21 mark.
What are good player prop options for the Yankees and the Astros in Tuesday's series opener?
Houston’s Jose Altuve is batting .346 with three stolen bases in his last six games. Aaron Judge of the Yankees was 4-for-7 with a home run and two doubles in his last two games. Three of Judge’s six career hits against Verlander have been home runs.
The odds and predictions in the article are based on the time of writing and publication. They may differ as to when the actual event takes place.
