Has CC Sabathia completely lost it? The former Cy Young winner has seen his performance wane over the past few seasons and this year is no different. With the New York Yankees (60-46) set to close their three-game series against the Boston Red Sox, will vintage CC show up? Or will the Red Sox (48-60) leave the Bronx with a victory?
Read on for more on this AL East showdown. Meanwhile, check out our preview of the Giants vs. Cubs over in the NL.
[sc:MLBArticles ]Boston Red Sox vs. New York Yankees Preview
Where: Yankee Stadium, New York
When: Thursday, August 6, 2015, 7:05 PM ET
Line: Boston Red Sox (+135) vs. New York Yankees (-150); total: 9.0– view all MLB lines
Betting on the Boston Red Sox
[sc:MLB240banner ]Eduardo Rodriguez (6-3, 4.34 ERA) must find his control back after having a hard time finding the strike zone in his most recent start. Against the Rays at home on July 31, the rookie allowed three runs on six hits and issued a career-high four walks in just five innings of work.
It’s a good thing for him, though, that Boston’ offense was on point, as the Red Sox did their work at the plate to come up with a 7-5 victory. Part of Rodriguez’s solid win-loss record thus far is due to the Red Sox’s offense that is backing up the lefty with 5.70 RS/9.
That said, Rodriguez would have to find the same form he had when he beat the Yankees on July 5. In that game, Rodriguez pitched for six-plus innings and gave up just two runs on five hits in a Boston 5-3 win at Fenway. Up against fellow lefty CC Sabathia, Rodriguez must continue his terrific performance when on the road, where he is 3-1 with a 2.93 ERA and .214 opponents’ batting average in five starts.
As for the offense, David Ortiz will enter tonight’s ball game looking to improve on his .239/.307/.373 numbers against Sabathia. Ryan Hanigan, meanwhile, may get the start at catcher, considering that he’s hitting .375/.483/.500 against lefties this season.
Boston is 5-1 in Rodriguez’s last six starts.
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Betting on the New York Yankees
Fans who’d like to catch a home run ball must pay attention to CC Sabathia (4-8, 5.54 ERA). Sabathia has been atrocious of late, giving up five long balls on 15 hits across 10.2 total innings in his last couple of starts. That includes the Yankees’ 7-6 loss against Texas on July 30, when Sabathia saw three players score a homer off him.
To illustrate how hittable Sabathia has been this season, consider that he gives up the second most homers per nine innings (1.85) and the second highest home run to fastball ratio (19.4%) among qualified starts this season. Still, Sabathia can toss a decent game on some nights, such as when he limited Oakland down to two runs, albeit on seven hits, in five-plus innings to help the Yankees win, 5-4, on July 8.
Then there’s also the time when Sabathia allowed just two runs on seven hits in six innings of work in the Yankees’ 3-2 victory over Boston way back in May 1.
In any case, Sabathia is hoping that the Yankees’ prolific offense shows up later tonight. Mark Teixeira is hitting like it’s 2007 as he is leading the Yankees in home runs (29) and RBIs (76). That’s saying a lot for a player that plays for the second-highest scoring team in the majors.
The over is 7-3 in the last 10 home games of the Yankees, who are averaging 4.9 runs at Yankee Stadium this second half.
Writer’s Prediction
Boston (+135) wins, 4-3.
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