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The New York Yankees take on the Oakland Athletics. Our MLB odds series has our Yankees Athletics prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Yankees Athletics.
The New York Yankees took two of three games from the Texas Rangers over the past weekend. They shut down Texas in situations involving runners in scoring position. The Rangers have spent nearly three whole months this season getting big hits in big moments, but the Yankees smothered the Rangers' bats in late-game situations. That series win, achieved without Aaron Judge, represented a slight surprise, given how profoundly the Yankees struggled to score without Judge in their lineup. The Yankees scored just eight runs in those three games against Texas; Ranger pitching was able to hold down the Yankees without too much of a problem. New York had scored five runs in 26 innings in that series before erupting for three runs in the bottom of the eighth on Sunday, a decisive rally which enabled the Bronx Bombers to earn a 5-3 win. Given how improbable that series win was, the Yankees figured to carry a lot of momentum and confidence into Oakland for this midweek series against the A's. Moreover, they had the day off on Monday, so it's not as though the travel schedule was especially brutal. This was a time for the Yankees to stack some wins and improve their American League playoff position.
Instead, on Tuesday night, they lost 2-1. Their bats were silent except for a Josh Donaldson solo homer in the fifth. The Yankees will try to bounce back on Wednesday in the second game of the series. They know their bats have to wake up.
Here are the Yankees-Athletics MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Yankees-Athletics Odds
New York Yankees: -1.5 (+116)
Oakland Athletics: +1.5 (-140)
Over: 7.5 (-110)
Under: 7.5 (-110)
How To Watch Yankees vs. Athletics
TV: YES (Yankees) / Bally Sports California (Athletics) / MLB Extra Innings
Stream: MLB.tv
Time: 9:40 p.m. ET/6:40 p.m. PT
*Watch Yankees-Athletics LIVE on fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Yankees Could Cover The Spread
The Yankees do have a bad offense without Aaron Judge. We don't have to pretend otherwise. However, they limited the A's to just two runs on Tuesday. If they allow just two runs to Oakland on Wednesday, they should be able to score at least four runs in this contest. Oakland starter J.P. Sears, a former Yankee, is a good pitcher, but he's not Cy Young or Pedro Martinez or Randy Johnson. The Yankees should be able to score four runs against Sears. If they give up only two runs, they should cover.
Why The Athletics Could Cover The Spread
The A's have a lot of flaws, but right now, the Yankee offense is a disaster. New York has scored three runs or fewer in 13 of its last 18 games, all without Aaron Judge. That's a trend, not an aberration. That's a real indicator of how bad this offense is when Judge is removed from the equation. Giancarlo Stanton looks lost at the plate right now. He can't hit curveballs right now; he missed one in the heart of the strike zone on Tuesday in the loss to Oakland. Josh Donaldson hit that homer on Tuesday but was bad in his other at-bats. Anthony Volpe, who got three hits against the A's on Tuesday, might be the only Yankee who is hitting the ball well. The A's can shut down this feeble Yankee offense and cover the spread again, much as they did on Tuesday.
Final Yankees-Athletics Prediction & Pick
The Yankees are not going to get shut down two games in a row. Take New York.
Final Yankees-Athletics Prediction & Pick: Yankees -1.5
