MLB Prediction: New York Yankees vs. Oakland Athletics Pick: August 18th 2009

New York Yankees vs. Oakland Athletics
Aug 18, 2009 10:05PM
Free Pick: New York Yankees
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While this isn’t quite the largest favorite on the board (TB currently is higher priced) it’s arguably the biggest mismatch. Sabathia goes for the Yankees and he’s 3-0 with an outstanding 2.38 ERA and 0.838 WHIP over his last three starts. The Yankees won those games by a combined score of 24-6, each victory coming by at least three runs. Conversely, Mazzaro has an awful 7.05 ERA and 2.218 WHIP. For the season, he’s just 1-4 with a 6.15 ERA and 1.823 WHIP in five home starts.

These pitchers faced each other at NY about a month ago. Sabathia was solid. Mazzaro was not. The Yankees won by a score of 6-3. Including that result, the Yankees are 47-30 (+3.6) vs. right-handers while the A’s are 16-23 (-3.5) vs. southpaws. They’re hitting just .243 and averaging only 4.3 runs in those games.

While the price is too expensive to qualify as one of my ‘guaranteed’ selections, note that the Yankees are a profitable 15-6 (+4) as road favorites of -175 or greater, over the past few seasons. Consider laying the wood.