Scott Kazmir (5-5, 2.56 ERA) gets the ball for the Oakland Athletics (39-47) as they go up against CC Sabathia (3-8, 5.59 ERA) and the New York Yankees (44-39) in the second of a three-game series at Yankee Stadium. The Athletics won the last game 4-3 and Oakland leads the series 1-0. The game gets underway at 7:05 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Jul. 8 and will air on CSN-CA and YES.
Sabathia has a 4.75 ERA and an 8-11 record in his career against the Athletics, and faces a solid Oakland offense that’s hitting .259 on the year. Brett Gardner (.296, 61 Rs, 9 HRs, 39 RBIs, 15 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday with one run. In his career against the Yankees, Kazmir is 8-7 with a 3.28 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, and 110 strikeouts. Stephen Vogt (.293, 40 Rs, 13 HRs, 54 RBIs) has been hitting the ball well for the Athletics, going 2 for 4 yesterday with one run and one RBI.
New York is favored by a slight -115 margin in its matchup against Oakland. The teams combine to set the Over/Under (O/U) at eight runs. When playing as the favorite, the Yankees have a 26-18 record and overall money line at -146. They are 3-1 as the favorite over their last 10 games. The Yankees will be looking to pick it up in this one after recent offensive struggles. In the last 10 games, New York has only averaged 2.9 runs per game compared to the 4.6 they’ve averaged on the season. The Yankees are a power hitting team with 107 home runs, one of the highest totals in the MLB.
On the other side, the Athletics have a record of 13-17 when they are the underdog and are -1,766 overall with the money line. Over the last 10 games, they were unbeaten as the underdog with a perfect 1-0 record and 4-6 SU. They sport the fifth-ranked offense in the AL, averaging four runs per game. Oakland has an eye for the strike zone on the road, averaging an AL-best 3.3 walks per game. Oakland’s pitching staff has allowed an average of 2.8 runs per game during the last 10 games, lower than their season average of 3.8. They have a WHIP of 1.20 on the year, good for fifth in the league.
The Athletics are 4-1 against the Yankees this season. This game will feature Kazmir (LHP) on the mound against the Yankees, who have an 11-10 record when they take on a left-handed starter. The left-handed Sabathia will take the mound against the Athletics. Against lefty starters this season, they have a terrible 5-16 record overall and 1-7 on the road.
Predictions: SU Winner – NYY, O/U – Over
Notes
Oakland has won 41% (17-24) of its games when leading after 7 innings. However, New York has won 45% (19-23) of its games when taking a late lead.
The Yankees are coming into this game after allowing one walk during their last outing. The Athletics have a 5-11 record when opponents give up that many walks or fewer.
When they are outhit, the Athletics are 5-31. The Yankees have an 8-30 record when opponents outhit them.
Ranking 18th in home runs, Oakland has hit 72 this season. New York ranks third with 107 home runs.
Ranking sixth, New York is in the top 10 of the league in hits, notching 8.76 per game. Oakland ranks in the top five at fourth with 8.96.
Ranking 13th, Oakland is in the top half of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.718). New York ranks in the top five at fourth with an OPS of .745.
When the Athletics allow at least one home run, they are 11-31. When the Yankees allow one or more homers, they have a 22-30 record.
