Oakland Athletics vs. New York Yankees Best Bet: Can Anthony Rizzo, Yankees Start Hot at Home?
Oakland Athletics vs. New York Yankees Best Bet: Can Anthony Rizzo, Yankees Start Hot at Home?
The Yankees dropped their series opener to the A's yesterday afternoon as they squandered a fantastic pitching performance from Carlos Rodon, as the Bronx Bombers could not muster up a single run and only tallied three total hits. Can they get back on track against Paul Blackburn tonight? Let's break it down.
ATHLETICS VS. YANKEES DATE, TIME, AND WHERE TO WATCH
- Date: April 23, 2024
- Start Time: 7:05 p.m. ET
- Where to Watch: YESN, MLB Extra Innings
OAKLAND ATHLETICS VS. NEW YORK YANKEES PREDICTION
The Yankees offense looked extremely sluggish yesterday afternoon as they were completely shutdown by the trio of JP Sears, Lucas Erceg, and Mason Miller. Miller made quick work of the heart of the Yankees order in the 9th as he struck out Volpe, Soto, and Judge in succession, and looked like a major league pitcher throwing to 12-year-olds. The entire Yankees lineup was overmatched yesterday but I do think they will have a much better approach today against a pitcher in Paul Blackburn.
Blackburn enters this matchup with a record of 2-0 and a dazzling ERA of 1.08 as he did not allow a single run through his first three starts of the season against the Tigers, Nationals, and Guardians. Not exactly a murderer's row of lineups with those three teams which could have contributed to Blackburn's success during that stretch, but we saw him come down to earth a bit in his last start against the Cardinals.
Last time out against St. Louis, Blackburn through 5 and 2/3rds innings, allowing six hits and three earned runs while also allowing five walks. His control was all over the place against a Cardinals lineup that had really been struggling up to that point. If there is one thing this Yankees lineup does extremely well, it is get on base. The Yankees are currently ranked 7th in the league in team on-base percentage, and have many experienced/patient hitters such as Juan Soto, Aaron Judge, Anthony Rizzo, and Alex Verdugo who all see a lot of pitches and have no problem taking their walks when pitchers are attempting to nibble at the corners.
Balckburn is a solid pitcher, but he is not going to overpower anyone with his fastball, and largely relies on his location and off-speed stuff to get outs. Blackburn has also yet to allow a home run this season through 25 innings pitched. This Yankees team has a lot of pop and is filled with power hitters who are beyond due to breakout, specifically Anthony Rizzo and Aaron Judge, and I will not be surprised if either one of them or both takes Blackburn deep tonight.
On the other side for the Yankees will be Marcus Stroman on the hill, who has gotten off to a good start to his career in pinstripes. Stroman currently has a 2.42 ERA, and now gets a very favorable matchup against an Oakland lineup who has struggled mightily to put up consistent offensive production. The A's are currently ranked 28th in batting average, 29th in on base percentage, 29th in runs scored, and 26th in slugging percentage.
Stroman is the ultimate competitor and does a great job at navigating around jams and frequently induces soft contact for double plays. Rodon made quick work of this A's lineup yesterday, and I envision Stroman having similar success tonight as well but with more run support against Blackburn, who is due for some negative regression in a big way.
With that being said, I am rolling with Yankees F5 -0.5 at -122 odds for 2 units as my most confident MLB play of the day for today's action, as I think the Yankees get off to a fast start and carry a lead into the later innings in Game 2 of this series with the A's.
OAKLAND ATHLETICS VS. NEW YORK YANKEES PICK
Pick: Yankees F5 0.5 (-122) Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds
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Article Author
Joey has spent the last 6+ years betting on sports with a focus on basketball and baseball. Basketball is his main focus, and not many people know more about mid-major basketball than him. Whether you need advice on a Saturday night primetime game or a Tuesday night back-alley SWAC/MEAC game, Joey is your man.