Heading into Game 3 of the American League Championship Series in the Bronx on Saturday, the Houston Astros lead the New York Yankees, 2-0, in the slate.
With the best-of-seven set moving to the City That Never Sleeps, the home team will look to get something going.
Let’s take a more detailed look with our Yankees vs. Astros betting analysis..
Yankees and Astros’ Previous Records
Astros Performance Recap
The Astros’ Alex Bregman went yard in the third frame, plating each of his team’s runs in a 3-2 Game 2 victory on Thursday night.
The win kept Houston — which won 106 games in the regular season — undefeated in the playoffs.
Yankees’ Performance Recap
Yanks slugger and outfielder Aaron Judge made good contact with an offering in the visitors’ eighth, but the blast fell just short of a game-changing homer and into the waiting glove of right fielder Kyle Tucker.
Framber Valdez walked away with a positive decision on the mound, turning in seven innings of effective work. He gave up only four hits and didn’t concede an earned run.
- Judge
- Center fielder Harrison Bader
- Designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton
- Third baseman Josh Donaldson
Were the ones to record a knock. New York was out-hit, 8-4.
New York Yankees vs. Houston Astros Betting Analysis
New York Yankees
Bader has been a solid contributor to New York’s order, having pinned up a team-best .273 batting average this postseason. He’s also smacked four dingers.
Along with him, first baseman Anthony Rizzo has been an important piece. He has six hits — three of which have gone for extra bases and two for homers — and a .480 on-base percentage.
Both Stanton and Donaldson have six RBIs thus far in the playoffs.
Gerrit Cole Starting for the Yankees
Returning to the mound in this one will be Gerrit Cole, arguably the team’s most rock-solid hurler. He’s made two starts this postseason, both against the Cleveland Guardians.
Combined in those appearances, he went 13.1 frames, allowed ten hits, and three earned runs. The Yankees came out on top in both matchups.
Cole can take control with his arsenal of pitches, too. His 257 strikeouts were the most in MLB this past regular season.
Houston Astros
Designated hitter Yordan Alvarez has been one of the driving forces in the Astros’ lineup, which is trying to make it back to the World Series after falling short to Atlanta last fall.
In 19 plate appearances, first baseman Yuli Gurriel has posted a .368 batting average. He has two home runs and a .409 on-base percentage during that stretch, too.
At the time of this writing, the Astros had not yet listed a starting pitcher. In 54 innings pitched during the playoffs, their staff has worked out a 1.83 ERA and a 0.91 WHIP. With lights-out arms like that, any offense would have its struggles.
MLB Injury Report
For the guests, relief pitcher Phil Maton is marked down as day-to-day. Designated hitter Michael Brantley won’t be back this year, though, as he’s dealing with a shoulder ailment that put him on the injured list in late September.
New York is without third baseman D.J. LeMahieu, who wasn’t included on the roster for this series because of a toe injury.
New York Yankees vs. Houston Astros Betting Preview
As part of our Al Low vs Al High betting analysis, let’s consider the odds for this important clash. The bookmakers favor the hosts to win this one. New York is -1.5 on the run line at +146, while the Astros are -178 to cover the spread.
On the moneyline, the Yankees are -146 and Houston a +124 underdog on MLB odds. The total has been set at seven runs, with the over being -102 and the under -120 at the time of this writing.
Yankees vs. Astros Betting Prediction
Now that we’ve gone through our Yankees vs. Astros betting analysis, we have a pretty good idea of how this series is going.
With how impressive Houston has been, not just recently but on the whole MLB schedule, it’s hard to think they won’t stay within two runs — if not win outright. Go with the streaking Astros to cover the spread.
MLB Pick: Astros +1.5 (-178)
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