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The New York Yankees will host the Oakland Athletics for the first of a three-game set at Yankee Stadium. It’s time to continue our MLB odds series and make a Athletics-Yankees prediction and pick.
Oakland has won six straight games and is currently leading the AL West with a 43-27 record. New York has been struggling to find consistency as they're now 35-32 and seven games back of the Rays in the AL East. The Yankees are coming off of a three-game sweep against the Toronto Blue Jays and will look to bring that momentum home for this series.
Here’s how sportsbooks have set the opening Athletics-Yankees odds.
MLB Odds: Athletics-Yankees Odds
Oakland Athletics +1.5 (-155)
New York Yankees -1.5 (+135)
Over 9.5 Runs (+100)
Under 9.5 Runs (-120)
Why The Athletics Could Cover The Spread
The Oakland Athletics got off to a slow start, but really picked it up a few weeks into the season. Oakland is now 43-27 on the season with a 2.5 game lead in the division. The Athletics have now won six straight games and are playing some of the best ball of their season. They have played very well away from home as well with wins in four of their last five road games coming in. Oakland is scoring the 12th most runs and allowing the 12th fewest runs in the league.
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Oakland will turn to right-hander James Kaprielian for the series opener. Kaprielian is having a great season with a 3-1 record and 2.51 ERA through six big league starts. The rookie right-hander has been very effective against right-handed batters, holding them to a .131 batting average. That will serve him well against a Yankee lineup that is loaded with right-handed bats.
Why The Yankees Could Cover The Spread
The New York Yankees came into this season with extremely high expectations and have been underwhelming to this point. They are now 35-32 and seven games back in the AL East. New York just completed a massive three-game sweep over the Toronto Blue Jays, which will hopefully get their season going in the right direction once and for all. The offense has really struggled for New York this season and it's their elite pitching staff that has kept them afloat. The Yankees are allowing just 3.97 runs per game, which is good for ninth in the Majors.
New York will turn to right-hander Jameson Taillon for the series opener. Taillon is going through a very tough season with a 1-4 record and 5.74 ERA. He had a forgettable start on Saturday against the Phillies as he recorded only one out while allowing four runs on five hits. The Yankee right-hander will need to turn a corner fast or his spot in the rotation will be in serious jeopardy as the trade deadline approaches.
Final Athletics-Yankees Prediction & Pick
The New York Yankees seemed to figure something out against the Blue Jays in Buffalo and they're hoping that the success will carry over. Although I do expect the Yankee offense to pick things up during the summertime, I don't expect it to be enough in this game. Jameson Taillon has been awful and the Athletics are good enough to capitalize on his plethora of mistakes. James Kaprielian is having a great season and should have no problem limiting the Yankees lineup that is heavy on right-handed bats. Look for the A's to take the series opener in convincing fashion.
FINAL PICK: Oakland Athletics ML (+123)
