The New York Yankees will look to gain ground in the AL Wild Card race when they begin a three-game series in the Bronx on Friday night. They face a Cleveland Indians team coming off a series win over the Minnesota Twins, including a 12-3 victory in Wednesday’s finale. New York picked up a series win over the Baltimore Orioles, but lost the last outing 3-2 as a heavy favorite. It's time to continue our MLB odds series and make an Indians-Yankees prediction and pick for Friday's game.
Here’s how the bookmakers have set the lines for Friday’s matchup.
MLB odds: Indians-Yankees odds
Indians ML (+168)
Yankees ML (-183)
Over 9 (-107)
Under 9 (-113)
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Why The Indians Could Cover the Spread
One bright spot for the Indians during the second half of the season has been the emergence of Cal Quantrill, who owns a 6-3 record with a 2.89 ERA and 110 strikeouts. He recently won his last two outings, racking up 14 1/3 innings pitched with nine strikeouts and only 1 earned run. This Cleveland offense averages 4.38 runs per game with a .709 OPS overall this season. They are coming off a game where the offense broke out of its slump with 12 runs on 14 hits, and will look to keep the momentum rolling into the Bronx. The Indians have been a good bet against the spread with a 78-65 ATS record, and they can get back into positive territory with a series win in New York.
They send Zach Plesac to the mound to face this Yankees lineup. Plesac has a winning record of 10-5 with a 4.45 ERA in 22 starts after missing several weeks in the middle of the season with a hand injury. Luckily, the Yankees are just 2-9 in their last 11 games against a right-handed starter. Additionally, Corey Kluber has struggled since coming back from the IL, giving up 11 earned runs in 11 2/3 innings spanning three starts.
Why The Yankees Could Cover the Spread
It has been a frustrating year for this Yankees offense, averaging 4.35 runs per game with a .725 OPS after entering the year with much higher expectations than that. New York’s pitching staff has picked up the slack with a 3.75 ERA, however. While Corey Kluber has struggled of late, he has an overall record of 4-3 with an ERA of 4.02 and 72 strikeouts.
Over their last five games, the Yankees are averaging 5.2 runs but have left a ton of runners on base. Aaron Judge has been the Yankees' most consistent hitter this season. He is leading the club with a batting average of .287 with 34 home runs and 84 RBI. DJ LeMahieu has 149 total hits with an OBP of .348. The Yankees are 4-1 in their last five Friday games and 8-3 in their previous 11 games in Game 1 of a series. Cleveland is a mere 3-7 in its previous 10 games following an off day.
Final Indians-Yankees Prediction & Pick
Cleveland has nothing to play for at this point in the season and is 3-7 over the last 10 games overall, hitting .186 and getting outscored by 18 runs. On the other hand, New York is a half-game back from Boston for the second AL Wild Card spot. They need as many wins as they can get moving forward to be in playoff contention. Kluber has been as solid as the Yankees have required him to be this season. Also, the Yankees are a much better team at their home ballpark with a record of 41-31. I expect them to take Game 1 of this series in New York.
Final Pick – Yankees Moneyline (-183)
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