In the second of a three-game series between the New York Yankees (65-52) and the Minnesota Twins (59-59) at Yankee Stadium, CC Sabathia (4-9, 5.23 ERA) and Mike Pelfrey (6-7, 3.70 ERA) take the mound. The Yankees won the last game 8-7 and New York leads the series 1-0. The game gets underway at 7:05 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Aug. 18 and will air on YES and FSN.
In his most recent outing, Sabathia pitched 6.0 innings, giving up two runs, striking out two and walking two in a 2-1 loss to the Indians. The Twins were victorious the last time Pelfrey pitched. He pitched well, going 7.0 innings, allowing one run, striking out four and walking one in an 11-1 victory over the Rangers. Brian Dozier (.248, 82 Rs, 25 HRs, 61 RBIs, 10 SBs) has been doing well offensively for the Twins, going 3 for 5 yesterday with one run and one stolen base.
New York is a -160 favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is nine runs. The Yankees perform well as a favorite with a 39-26 record and have an overall money line of +212. The Yankees have one of the most prolific offenses in the entire AL, averaging 4.8 runs per game. The Yankees are a stellar hitting team with 8.8 hits per game, one of the highest marks in the AL. New York’s pitching staff has put it all together in the past 10 games. Its average runs allowed per game dropped to 3.1 during that span, compared to its 4.2 season average. An area where the Yankees are particularly strong at home is striking batters out, where they average 8.7 K’s per home game.
Moving on to the away team, the Twins come into this game with a win percentage of .478 when playing as the underdog (44-48) and an overall money line of +1,145. The last 10 games have really brought the worst out of the Minnesota pitchers. They allowed 6.0 runs per game during that span, which is higher than their season average of 4.4.
In their previous four games this season, the Yankees have a 3-1 record. This game will feature Pelfrey (RHP) on the mound against the Yankees, who have a 42-39 record when they take on a right-handed starter. Taking the hill against the Twins will be the right-hander Sabathia. They sport a 38-40 record against righties.
Predictions: SU Winner – NYY, O/U – Over
Notes
Minnesota has won 45% (17-21) of its games when leading after 7 innings. However, New York has won 48% (27-29) of its games when taking a late lead.
The Twins managed to give up five walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Yankees who are heading in with a 26-5 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
When they outhit their opponents, the Twins are 42-6. The Yankees have a 43-6 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 12th in runs, Minnesota has earned 500 this season. New York ranks second with 559 runs.
Ranking 24th, Minnesota is near the bottom of the league in walks, notching 292 this season. New York ranks in the top five at fifth with 387.
The Yankees are 56-32 when they hit at least one home run. The Twins perform similarly when they hit one or more homers with a 45-26 record.
