In the last of a three-game series between the New York Yankees (66-52) and the Minnesota Twins (59-60) at Yankee Stadium, Nathan Eovaldi (12-2, 4.26 ERA) and Ervin Santana (2-3, 5.66 ERA) get the start. The Yankees won the last game 8-4 and New York leads the series 2-0. The game starts at 1:05 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Aug. 19 and will air on YES, FSN and MLBN.
In his last start, Eovaldi pitched 5.1 innings, allowing four runs, striking out four and walking three in an 8-6 victory over the Indians. Alex Rodriguez (.261, 67 Rs, 25 HRs, 67 RBIs, 2 SBs) went 1 for 5 yesterday with one run, one home run, and four RBIs. The Twins were unsuccessful the last time Santana pitched. He struggled, going 6.0 innings, giving up five runs, striking out one and walking two in a 6-5 loss to the Rangers.
New York is a -166 favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is eight runs. The Yankees perform well as a favorite with a 40-26 record and have an overall money line of +312. The Yankees have one of the most prolific offenses in the entire AL, averaging 4.8 runs per game. The Yankees are an exceptional hitting team with 8.8 hits per game, one of the highest marks in the AL. As for the pitching staff, an area where the Yankees are particularly strong at home is striking batters out, where they average 8.8 K’s per home game.
Switching gears, the Twins come into this game with a win percentage of .473 when playing as the underdog (44-49) and an overall money line of +1,045. The last 10 games have really brought the worst out of the Minnesota pitchers. They allowed 5.9 runs per game during that span, which is higher than their season average of 4.5.
The Yankees are 4-1 against the Twins this season. This game will feature Santana (RHP) on the mound against the Yankees, who have a 43-39 record when they take on a right-handed starter. Taking the hill against the Twins will be the right-hander Eovaldi. They sport a 38-40 record against righties.
Predictions: SU Winner – NYY, O/U – Over
Notes
The Yankees are coming off of a hot pitching game where they recorded nine strikeouts. The Twins have a record of 14-26 when they are struck out that many times or more.
It looks like the Yankees have a slight leg up on the Twins, as the Yankees have won their last two games while the Twins have lost their last two.
When they outhit their opponents, the Twins are 42-6. The Yankees have a 44-6 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 12th in runs, Minnesota has earned 504 this season. New York ranks second with 567 runs.
Ranking 23rd, Minnesota is near the bottom of the league in walks, notching 295 this season. New York ranks in the top five at fifth with 390.
When the Yankees hit at least one home run, they are 57-32, well-matched with the Twins who are 45-27 when hitting one or more homers.
