The Houston Astros take on the New York Yankees to begin a four game series at Yankee Stadium. This game will continue our MLB odds series as we hand out an Astros-Yankees prediction and pick. We will also let you know how to watch the game.

The Astros are in a tight division race. They traded for Justin Verlander at the deadline to help bolster their rotation, and Kendall Graveman to brighten their bullpen. Houston trails the Texas Rangers by just half a game, but they are second in the wild card race. They can easily overtake them for the AL West lead, but the Astros do need to string together some more wins. Houston is coming off a series in which they swept the Cleveland Guardians, and they have won seven of their last 10 games.

The Yankees are in last place in the AL East division. They trail by 10 games, and the wild card by 3.5 games. New York just lost a series against the Tampa Bay Rays, so they need to start winning more games if they want to make the playoffs. The Yankees did not make any significant moves at the trade deadline, so they will have to deal with they got. Luckily, the Yankees did get Aaron Judge back in the lineup, and Gerrit Cole is healthy.

Cristian Javier will start for the Astros while Clarke Schmidt takes the mound for the Yankees.

Here are the Astros-Yankees MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

MLB Odds: Astros-Yankees Odds

Houston Astros: -1.5 (+152)

New York Yankees: +1.5 (-184)

Over: 8.5 (-122)

Under: 8.5 (+100)

How To Watch Astros vs. Yankees

TV: Fox

Stream: Fox Sports App

Time: 7:15 PM ET/4:15 PM PT

*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why The Astros Could Cover The Spread

Javier's ERA does not fully support how well he has been pitching this season. He has allowed opponents to hit just .233 off him this season, and he has struck out 103 batters in 108 innings. His ERA is 4.33, but that is due to just a few bad starts. Besides Judge, the Yankees lineup is struggling big time. If Javier can have one of his better games, the Astros will cover this spread.

Schmidt has given up 12 of his 16 home runs when pitching in Yankee Stadium. The Astros have hit the 10th most home runs in the MLB this season. Seven players in Houston's lineup have double-digit home runs this season. The Astros should get a few mistakes over the plate in this game. If they can take advantage of those mistakes, Houston will cover this spread.

Why The Yankees Could Cover The Spread

Schmidt has been throwing better when pitching at home. He has allowed opponents to hit .261 off him, struck out 56, and owns a 4.01 ERA. All those numbers are better than how he pitches on the road. If Schmidt can have a good home start, the Yankees will be able to cover the spread. However, he needs to find a way to hold the Astros to just two or three runs.

It is also important to know that the Yankees have won the last five games Schmidt has started. Those have come against some good teams, as well. Schmidt has beaten the Baltimore Orioles twice in that span. The Yankees have a good chance to cover the spread in this game with Schmidt on the mound.

Final Astros-Yankees Prediction & Pick

This is going to be a close game. The Astros and Yankees have close games every time they play each other. However, I expect the Astros to cover the spread. The Yankees are not playing to well right now, and the Astros are the better team.

Final Astros-Yankees Prediction & Pick: Astros -1.5 (+152), Over 8.5 (-122)