The New York Yankees and Houston Astros – a pair of division leaders and some of the game’s most sturdy franchises over the past half decade – will match wits on Thursday night, kicking off a four-game slate in the Bronx. They haven’t crossed paths yet this year, but this clash promises to be an interesting rivalry renewal. Check the Astros vs. Yankees Odds.
Simply put, the Yankees (51-18) are off to the best start in the bigs. New York has only lost three contests in the month of June and goes into this meeting after a series win at Tampa Bay. The Bronx Bombers hold a very comfortable lead in the MLB standings, as they’re a dozen games ahead of Toronto in the American League East.
Houston (43-25) has the second-most wins in the AL. They benefitted greatly from the Los Angeles Angels’ rough patch, moving into a 10 game lead in the MLB standings. The American League West leaders have notched wins in six of their last seven outings, including a two-game sweep at home against the New York Mets.
The Astros, for all of their success, haven’t been the best at the dish. They’ve hit .239 thus far, which teeters on the bottom third of the majors. Left fielder Yordan Alvarez has been the big bat for Houston. He leads them in batting average (.315), homers (21), and RBIs (51).
Right fielder Kyle Tucker follows close behind him, having driven in 45 runs himself.
Astros vs. Yankees Odds
MLB odds lean toward the home team in this matchup. New York is -1.5 on the run line at +150, while the Astros are -184 to cover the spread.
On the moneyline, the Yankees are -126 and Houston a +108 underdog. The total has been set at 8.5 runs, with the over being -108 and the under -112 at the time of this writing.
MLB betting trends will show that the Yankees have the most pop in the batter’s box of any team in the AL – and it’s not by a small margin. Their 112 team homers are 22 more than the next nearest club, which happens to be the ‘Stros.
The power helps make up for an order that might not be the most steady. The Yanks have a .247 team batting average, which grades out in the middle of the MLB.
Aaron Judge has been out of his mind, hitting a team-high .302. He also has the most dingers (27) and RBIs (52) of anyone in the lineup. First baseman Anthony Rizzo has 19 home runs.
Matchup Information
Astros vs. Yankees Betting Preview
With the second-most wins in the major leagues, 30-year-old right-hander Jameson Taillon will throw for the Pinstripes. To this point, he has a 2.70 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP.
New York has been essentially unbeatable with Taillon on the bump. They’ve come out on the right side of 11 of his 13 starts this year, including a 4-0 victory at Toronto last Saturday. In that one, the pitcher went 5.2 frames, giving up four hits and no earned runs. It was the second time that he’d blanked an opponent in 2022.
Framber Valdez, Houston Astros’s starter, has done a solid job, as well, pinning up a 7-3 record and a 2.78 ERA. Against the Chicago White Sox last Friday, he went six innings and allowed eight knocks. Still, he did good enough damage control to give up only three runs. He also had seven K’s.
This pitching duel will make this one of the more interesting MLB matchups this evening.
Houston Astros vs. New York Yankees Picks and Predictions
It’s hard to pick against Taillon, especially seeing how he’s done in his MLB matchups so far. In making your MLB picks today, don’t make the mistake of taking Houston.
Taillon and New York’s scary lineup will once again do more than enough to power the Yankees to the win. Take them to cover the spread here.
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