Heavily Favored Yankees to Win Series Opener With Seattle
Who: Seattle Mariners v. New York Yankees
When: Friday August 25th, 2017 7:05PM EST
Where: Yankee Stadium—New York, New York
The Yankees are at the center of just about every headline on Friday, not because they have a series with the Mariners, but because of the massive brawl they got into with the Detroit Tigers on Thursday. Catcher Gary Sanchez and Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera were at the center of it all, and both sides are awaiting what is being seen as inevitable fallout from MLB. This is a very bad situation for the Yankees due solely to the fact that they are in the midst of a playoff battle, and will face playoff contenders in each of their next 3 series, including this one.
Despite yesterday’s loss to Detroit, the Yankees are 7-3 in their last 10 games and are slowly but surely solidifying their spot in the post-season. I feel as though this next stretch of series will be telling, and if the Yankees can survive I think we can all but expect to see them in the playoffs. It will be interesting to see what type of punishments are handed down over the next few days, but for now we will carry on as if nothing ever happened. If the Yankees can keep the bats rolling, I think they will do fine from now through the end of the year.
For the Mariners, they have been playing better in recent weeks after a fairly poor stretch at the beginning of the month of August. That streak, which saw the Mariners lose 5 consecutive games, was thought to be insurmountable at the time, but now just a half game back from an AL Wild Card spot, the Mariners’ season is not lost after all.
Being that this is a 3-game series, Bovada is offering odds with regard to which side will win at least 2 of the 3. As you probably could have guessed, the Yankees (-250) are heavy, heavy favorites. Conversely, the Mariners (+195) are heavy underdogs. I am having a difficult time going against the Yankees. I think they will easily win 2 of 3 in this series, so I think that is the smart bet to make.
Game Overview and Analysis
For the visiting Mariners (+143), they will be sending left-hander Ariel Miranda (8-6 (4.78 ERA) to the mound. Miranda’s season can best be described as average, as he hasn’t really impressed and has not disappointed either. He will be coming off a victory on August 19th at Tampa Bay, where he pitched a full 5 innings and gave up 3 earned. This outing perfectly typifies Miranda’s season.
For the Mariners as a whole, they will be entering this series having won 2 of 3 against the Braves. While this is a good result, it is nothing worth bragging about. As such, I am not exactly confident that the Mariners will be able to do much against the Yankees. The fact that they are on the verge of a playoff spot will be motivation, but I have a difficult time believing that that will be enough to translate into victories.
For the Yankees (-166), their ace CC Sabathia (10-5 3.99 ERA) will be taking the mound. CC will also be coming off a victory in his last outing, but he managed to last 6 innings and only gave up 2. He preceded that outing with 2 straight losses in 2 starts, but those losses are more attributable to the Yankee bats underperforming more than they are to him not pitching well.
All things considered, the Yankees are the better offensive team and are starting the better of the two pitchers. So long as CC has a solid outing and the Yanks are able to get some runs across the plate, I do not think they will have any issues winning the first game of this series. In fact, I would not be at all surprised to see the Yankees sweep the visiting Mariners.
Betting Prediction
If you are looking at a moneyline bet to take, look no further than the Yankees (-166). As I have been saying this whole piece, the Yankees are far and away the better side, and are starting this series with the better pitcher on the mound. To make a long story short, I cannot envision any scenario where the Yankees do not win this game.
The over/under listed by Bovada is 9.5 runs (-115/-105). While I expect Sabathia to shut the Mariners down, I think the Yankees are going to score a lot of runs. As such, I think your best bet is to take the over (-115). I am not overly confident in this, but if you are choosing one or the other I think you have to go with the over.
All things considered, any bet you make should be pro-Yankee, as I fully expect this game to be a blowout.