The Yankees are now back on track after losing two in a row. The Bombers prevailed last night against the Rangers, 4-3. Chad Green came away with the victory. Yankees’ catcher Gary Sanchez went yard.
Tonight, lefty Jordan Montgomery will pitch for New York. Dane Dunning will take the hill for the Rangers. Dunning is 5-8 with a 4.28 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP. Though Dunning allows more runs than gamblers would like, he is fanning nearly one batter per inning.
Montgomery has a 3.63 ERA along with a 1.25 WHIP. Montgomery is averaging slightly more than a strikeout per inning. These numbers are solid, especially considering the fact that Montgomery pitches half his games in the bandbox that is Yankee stadium.
The Over/Under
Dunning typically puts in a few innings of work before giving way to another reliever. Tonight’s matchup with New York could easily feature half a dozen Rangers pitchers, especially if Dunning gets rocked early. Alternatively, Montgomery averages five to six innings per start. The Rangers have not yet seen Monty this year so the unfamiliarity will create some challenges.
The over/under for this game is 8.5 runs. Let’s assume Montgomery can hold the Rangers to three runs or less. The question is whether the Yankees can put up six runs. Dunning blanked the Yankees across six frames on May 20. The fact that the Yanks have not seen Dunning’s pitching arsenal in the past four months is a problem.
Tonight’s game should end up right around eight runs, meaning a small play on the under is worth considering.
The Moneyline and Runline
The Yankees are -245 favorites. This line is understandable as the game means that much more to New York than it does to the basement dwelling Rangers. The game will be played at home in the Bronx, where the Yankees are 43-33. The Rangers are 23-55 away from home this season. All in all, the Rangers are slugging .373 as a team.
If Dunning hadn’t shut out the Yankees the last time he faced them, the Yankees’ runline would be attractive. However, the Bombers couldn’t score a single run against Dunning in their last matchup. The Yankees will likely pull out the victory tonight yet it won’t be easy.
The Yankees’ moneyline is the play.