Expect another high-scoring matchup between the New York Yankees and Colorado Rockies later this afternoon. The Rockies, who won the first game, 13-10, of this brief two-game series, hope to complete the sweep by relying on the hands of Chad Bettis on the mound. Can Bettis get the job done for Colorado, or will the Yankees have the last laugh? Read on below for more about this interleague clash.
The New York Yankees should be feeling a little confident with Ivan Nova (5-3, 4.39 ERA) going on the mound later this afternoon. He’s coming off a pair of relatively decent starts, which includes their 6-3 victory over the Angels last week. In that particular match, the veteran righty logged in 6 1/3 innings of three-run ball and struck out five batters.
However, there’s no telling when things could immediately go south for Nova, who is 2-2 with a 6.57 ERA across six road games (three starts) this season. That being the case, the Yankees ought to get some timely contributions at the plate and you can look to hot bat of Jacoby Ellsbury to get the party started.
Ellsbury, the team’s leading batter (.285), is 3-of-9 in his last two games and boasts a career triple-slash line of .455/.538/.636 against the Rockies. He’s also hitting at a respectable rate of .289 on the road this season.
The Pinstripes are 3-7 SU in their past 10 road games. They are also pegged at +1,000 to nab the AL East division title.
Betting on the Colorado Rockies (31-33)
Meanwhile, the struggle has been very real for Chad Bettis (4-5, 5.85 ERA), who’ll be the one handling the ball for the Colorado Rockies later. He hasn’t made it past the fifth frame and has given up four runs or more in each of his previous four starts.
Unfortunately for Bettis, that trend is likely bound to continue. The 27-year-old right-hander has yet to face the New York Yankees in his career, and currently holds a 1-2 record with a 6.41 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and .327 opponents’ batting average through five starts at home this season.
So needless to say, the Rockies, who are priced at +1,500to win the NL West division, definitely need to provide Bettis some much-needed runs at the plate. Expect DJ LeMahieu or Trevor Story to do just that.
LeMahieu, who leads the team in batting (.313) and OBP (.378), is riding on an eight-game hitting streak. Story, on the other hand, went 2-of-4 with one homer and three RBIs in last night’s game.
