It is opening day in Houston as the New York Yankees visit the Houston Astros. It is time to continue our MLB odds series with a Yankees-Astros prediction, pick, and how to watch.
The New York Yankees enter the season with high hopes for the 2024 campaign. After missing the playoffs in 2023, the Yankee's first playoff miss of the Aaron Boone era. Still, Boone has not lived up to expectations yet. The Yankees have not been to the World Series since 2009 when they won it. They made some major offenses to get back to a World Series. The first was the trade for Juan Soto, pairing him in the outfield with Aaron Judge. they also signed Marcus Stroman, adding depth to the rotation.
Meanwhile, the Astros also have their sights set on a World Series. Last year they would fall in seven games to the Texas Rangers in the ALCS. Still, they have been to the World Series four times in the last seven years, winning it twice. The Astros did lose some bullpen depth in the offseason, with both Hetroc Neris and Phil Maton leaving. The Astros also saw Michael Brantley and Dusty Baker both retire in the offseason. They bring in Joe Espada to be the manager. The Bench coach since 2018, he is familiar with the team, and with much of the core returning, Espada should be set up for success.
Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Yankees-Astros Odds
New York Yankees: +1.5 (-156)
Moneyline: +128
Houston Astros: -1.5 (+130)
Moneyline: -152
Over: 8.5 (-122)
Under: 8.5 (+100)
How to Watch Yankees vs. Astros
Time: 4:10 PM ET/ 1:10 PM PT
TV: YES/SCHN/MLB.TV
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why The Yankees Will Cover The Spread/Win
The main talk for the Yankees will be the outfield and the rotation of bats. It is led by Aaron Judge. He is coming off a 37-home run season but played in just 106 games last year after he smacked 62 home runs in 2022. Still, Judge made a major impact when in the lineup. He has a .267 batting average with a .613 slugging and 1.019 OPS. Also, Judge has a 4.5 WAR in his 106 games. The Yankees added Juan Soto to the outfield as well. It was a 35 home run and 109 RBI campaign for Soto last year while having an OPS of .930. This gives the Yankees two solid power bats in the outfield.
Further, the Yankees also have Giancarlo Stanton, who will DH for them. He is coming off a rough year, in which he has just .191 and 24 home runs. Still, he played in 101 games and drove in 60 runs. Further, Stanton has been solid so far in the spring, hitting four home runs and driving in 11 in spring training.
Beyond the major bats in the outfield and Stanton at DH, the Yankees will have platoon options with Trent Grisham and Alex Verdugo. While Grisham struggled some at the plate last year and is still struggling some this spring, Verdugo is coming off a solid year in which he hit .264. In the infield, Anthony Volpe returns. He spent the offseason working on his swing to not strike out as much, and it is already paying off. In the spring he is hitting .333 already, plus he has driven in four runs and stole three bases. Anthony Rizzo will also return at first base. He too is having a solid spring training, and looking for a bounce-back year. He is hitting .433 this spring while driving in eight runs and hitting two long shots.
With Gerrit Cole sidelined with an elbow injury, it will be Nestor Cortes taking the hill in this one. Cortes was 5-2 with a 4.91 ERA and 1.25 WHIP last year. Still, he pitched in just one game after May 30th. Cortes has made three starts in the spring so far. He has pitched ten innings, giving up nine runs.
Why The Astros Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Astros bring back a core of players from last year, ready to go. In the infield, Yainer Diaz will get the chance to be the everyday catcher. Last year he played in 104 games, sitting with a .282 batting average and a .846 OPS. He also had a WAR of 3.2 while driving in 60 runs last year. At first base, the Astros will hope to get a fully healthy Jose Abreu this year. He is heading into his second year in Houston and is coming off a year in which he hit .237 with a .680 OPS and 90 RBIs. He was able to play in 141 games last year but was battling injuries throughout.
The infield is rounded out by Jeremy Pena, Alex Bregman, and Jose Altuve. Bregman is coming in hot after a solid spring. He hit .383 in spring training and drove in eight with two home runs. Altuve has been solid in spring training as well, hitting .250 with a .748 OPS.
The outfield will feature Chaz McCormick, Jake Meyers, and Kyle Tucker, while Yordan Alvarez will be the DH this year. McCormick and Tucker have both been solid in spring training. McCormick is hitting .366 with a .865 OPS. He has seven RBIs so far this Spring. Tucker has hit .317 and has a .952 OPS. Tucker has three home runs and eight RBIs this spring already. Further, Alvarez is coming off a season in which he hit .293 and a .900 OPS. His OPS was fifth in the majors last year. Further, he hit 31 home runs last year with 97 RBIs.
Framber Valdez is going to take the hill for the Astros in this one. He was 12-11 last year with a 3.45 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP. He has pitched 9.1 innings so far this spring, giving up eight runs and 15 hits. Still, he has top-quality stuff and should be ready to start the season strong.
Final Yankees-Astros Prediction & Pick
Neither pitcher coming into this game has had a solid spring so far. Still, it is spring training and it was just a warm-up for the real deal. Overall, Valdez is the better pitcher coming into this game. The Yankees did make some solid offseason moves, especially with Soto. That should give some energy to the lineup. Regardless, the Astros lineup is still better top-to-bottom. They have the better pitching and will get the win in this one.
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Final Yankees-Astros Prediction & Pick: Astros ML (-152)
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