Intense baseball action continues this Friday night with two huge MLB games that’ll definitely tickle your fancy. Starting things off is a battle between the beasts of the AL East, as the New York Yankees (62-51) travel up north to open up their three-game set with the sizzling Toronto Blue Jays (64-52), who are in the midst of an 11-game winning streak.
Following shortly is another intriguing series opener between the Detroit Tigers (55-59) and the Houston Astros (62-53) that’ll have some major playoff implications. Read on below for a brief breakdown of these two juicy matchups, and if you’re still looking to satisfy your baseball cravings further, click here for our full preview of the Pirates vs Mets.
[sc:MLBArticles ]New York Yankees vs. Toronto Blue Jays (7:07 PM ET)
Line: New York Yankees (+200) vs. Toronto Blue Jays (-240); total: 8.5 – view all MLB lines
[sc:MLB240banner ]Ivan Nova (4-4, 3.52 ERA) sets his sights on redemption after his previous performance against the Blue Jays on Saturday, where he allowed four earned runs on four hits in over 5 1/3 frames. Nova carries a 4-3 record with a 4.94 ERA and 1.43 WHIP across 11 games (10 starts) against Toronto.
The Blue Jays, meanwhile, counter with their ace pitcher David Price, who is 11-4 with a 2.35 ERA on the year, but will be making just his third start since being traded to Toronot. Price aims for his third consecutive victory after logging in 15 innings of one-run ball over his first two turns as a Blue Jay. However, his pitching has been quite off whenever he’s opposing the Yankees, as he owns a 4.23 ERA despite an 11-7 record throughout his career.
New York is 2-3 in Nova’s previous five road starts. Toronto, on the other hand, has won seven of its last 10 games with Price starting.
Writer’s Prediction
Blue Jays (-240) win, 8-4, to keep their winning streak alive.
Detroit Tigers vs. Houston Astros (8:10 PM ET)
Line: Detroit Tigers (+195) vs. Houston Astros (-225); total: 8.0– view all MLB lines
The odds aren’t looking that good for the Detroit Tigers, as they send Alfredo Simon (10-6, 4.74 ERA) on the mound later. Simon has been suffering the effects of a groin injury over his previous two starts, during which the righty has accumulated 10 earned runs and 11 hits in 12 1/3 innings of work despite managing to pick up the wins. However, it’s worth noting that Simon had a decent performance against the Astros in their last meeting on May 22, yielding just two runs on four hits across seven innings for the 6-2 triumph.
As for Houston, they’ll be sending their ace hurler Dallas Keuchel, who is 13-6 with a 2.40 ERA on the season. Keuchel is coming off a poor performance in a 3-1 loss against the Atheltics on August 7, during which he gave up 10 hits and three earned runs to pick up his sixth loss. A huge bounce back game could be expected from the lefty, as he is a perfect 10-0 with a superb 1.26 ERA in 12 starts at Minute Maid Park this year.
The Tigers are 3-2 in Simon’s last five road turns. The Astros, on the other hand, are 6-4 in Keuchel’s previous 10 starts.
Writer’s Prediction
Keuchel pitches a gem to give the Astros (-225) a 5-2 victory.
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