Yankees to Flex Betting Muscles Against Fading Astros
So much for the idea that veteran pitcher Justin Verlander could stop the bleeding for the sinking Houston Astros. Three of the eight hits that Verlander allowed in his five innings were home runs as the Yankees rolled to a 10-3 win in the series opener. The Yankees are favored by the Vegas MLB odds to win again in Wednesday’s matchup.
The Yankees have won eight games in a row against the Astros, including all five games this 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 -145 odds to win Tuesday’s series opener with +140 odds to cover the -1½ run line. Houston comes in at +130 to win outright after managing just one hit in the first seven innings in the series opener.
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 (12-23) vs Yankees (24-13)
- Date/Time: Tuesday, 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
Odds Back Carlos Rodon vs Rookie
Since Carlos Rodon last took the mound, Yankees starters have a 2.78 ERA with 24 strikeouts in 22.2 innings. Can Rodon continue that trend after giving up three home runs in four innings to the rival Baltimore Orioles?
Houston turns to rookie Spencer Arrighetti, who has struck out 13 of the 43 batters he faced in his last two starts and pitched past the fifth inning for the first time in four career MLB outings.
Tucker Dialing Long Distance
Outfielder Kyle Tucker has just three hits in six games in the month of May. However, all three of them have been home runs as he became the third American League batter to reach 10 home runs this season.
Jon Singleton is the only other Astros hitter with a home run in May as the Houston bats have gone quiet with a .201 team batting average over the last six games.
With those numbers, it is not a surprise that the total has gone under in eight of Houston’s last 12 games against American League teams.
Include Soto in Player Props for Yankees
With Anthony Volpe and Alex Verdugo hitting home runs in Tuesday’s series opener, seven different Yankees are tied for the team lead with one home run in May.
High Volpage ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/7NwxhbN02d
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) May 8, 2024
New York is only hitting .250 in May but the .404 slugging percentage ranks fifth among American League teams. Those numbers jump to a .291 team batting average and a .463 slugging percentage in five matchups with the Astros this season.
When considering player prop bets, keep in mind that outfielder Juan Soto is putting up slow-pitch softball caliber numbers with a .571 batting average, .640 on-base percentage, and .762 slugging percentage against Astros pitching this season.
Betting Trends
- The total went under in four of the last six meetings.
- The Yankees are 17-8 as the favorite.
- Houston is 2-3 as the underdog.
- The Yankees are 7-10 against the run line at home but the Astros have covered in just six of 16 road games.
- Only five of Houston’s 16 road games landed over the total.
- The Yankees are 19-7 when facing a right-handed starting pitcher.
- Twelve of Houston’s last 18 games went under the total.
What to Look for: Home Run Derby?
Soto is not the only Yankees hitter teeing off against the Astros. Oswaldo Cabrera is batting .438 with two home runs, Anthony Volpe also has homered twice against Houston while Alex Verdugo is batting .300. Five different Yankees have homered against Houston and none of them have been named Aaron Judge.
Arrighetti’s 11.3 strikeouts per nine innings would put him among the top 10 pitchers in the majors if he had enough innings to qualify, but he also has an ERA of 8.27 so there could be a chance for more damage to be done by the Yankees lineup.
The Yankees are tied for third and the Astros are tied for eighth in the majors in home runs.
There shouldn’t be much in the way of weather concerns by the time of the first pitch, even though rain was falling in the morning in the New York area, so it could be good hitting weather. That is one reason that the 9-run total is tied for the second highest among Wednesday’s games.
Questions Of The Day
Which team has a better ATS record going into Wednesday's game between the Astros and Yankees?
The Yankees are 18-19 against the run line with the Astros posting a 13-22 mark this season.
What are good player prop options for the Yankees and the Astros in Tuesday's series opener?
New York’s Juan Soto is just crushing Houston pitching so take a look at the +118 odds for Soto to have at least two combined runs and RBIs. Houston’s Jose Altuve has had at least two hits in his last five games following a hitless outing. There are +165 odds for Altuve to have his 15th multi-hit game of the season.
