Julio Aguilar/Getty Images. Pictured: Gerrit Cole.
Angels vs. Yankees Odds
| Angels Odds | +205 |
| Yankees Odds | -255 |
| Over/Under | 8.5 |
| Time | Monday, 7:05 p.m. ET |
| TV | MLB Network |
| Odds as of Sunday and via DraftKings | |
Despite already setting a franchise record with the most stints on the injured list this season, the Yankees are playing their best ball of the year and have been one of the best teams in the league.
No team in the league has had more players on the injured list since the All-Star break. No team has also had more wins since the break. New York is 19-9 since the Mid-Season Classic and is just 2.5 games behind Boston for the final wild-card spot.
The Yankees are currently without Luis Severino, Aaron Hicks, Corey Kluber, Clint Frazier, Darren O’Day, Michael King, Miguel Andujar, Tim Locastro, Trey Amburgey, Domingo German, Gio Urshela, Jordan Montgomery, Gary Sanchez, Aroldis Chapman, Anthony Rizzo, and Gleyber Torres.
Los Angeles is just 14-16 in the second half and sits in fourth place in the AL West. They have not had superstar Mike Trout in the lineup since May 17. He was initially expected to be back in six-to-eight weeks, but his injury is healing unexpectedly slowly and there is no timetable for his return.
This is a tough scheduling spot for both teams and is a makeup from a postponement on July 1. The Angels took two of the three games against New York this year but played in Anaheim yesterday before flying to the Bronx for one game and then Detroit on Tuesday.
For the Yankees, they are coming off three tight battles against the White Sox, including the thriller in Iowa. They return home to face the Angels but have a looming double-header with the Red Sox on Tuesday that could put them in a playoff position.
They Yankees are a big favorite with their ace on the mound, but could this be a letdown spot coming off two big wins against Chicago before a huge series with Boston.
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Angels Have Gone Silent At The Plate
After starting the season in the bullpen as a bulk-innings guy, Jose Suarez (LHP) was moved into the Angels starting rotation at the beginning of July. Suarez’s last outing as a reliever actually came against the Yankees, when he allowed just two hits and one run in five-and-a-third innings of relief on June 28.
In 15 total outings this year, Suarez is 5-5 with a 3.90 ERA and allowing a .232 batting average against. He was much more effective out of the bullpen though. In his six starts since joining the rotation, Suarez is 2-4 with a 5.79 ERA, and opponents have hit .252 against him.
Suarez is just 23 years old and throws mostly a fastball, changeup and curveball. His changeup has been especially good this season, but opponents have a .399 wOBA against his fastball this year.
The Angels offense is obviously missing a huge piece with Trout on the injured list. They were able to pick up the slack for a little bit but have since faded off. On the season, LA ranks 13th in batting average and 11th in wRC+.
The bats have gone cold for the Angels, and since the All-Star break, they rank 29th in wOBA and 28th in batting average and wRC+.
Shohei Ohtani has been the star of this team and the league this season and is virtually a lock to the win the AL MVP. He leads all of baseball with 39 home runs. However, he is batting just .247 since the All-Star break with 42 strikeouts.
Cole Makes Return For Yankees
One player the Yankees will get back off the injured list on Monday is ace Gerrit Cole (RHP). Currently with the second-best odds to win the AL Cy Young Award, Cole is 10-6 with a 3.11 ERA and 2.85 FIP this season.
Cole throws a fastball that can touch 100 miles per hour, as well as a fantastic slider and changeup. He ranks in the top 10% of the league in xERA and xwOBA this year. Cole has the second most strikeouts in the league, despite having three less starts than league-leader Zack Wheeler.
It’s unclear how long Cole will pitch in Monday’s game as he is a coming off battle with COVID-19 and experiences some rough side effects from the virus. Cole has not made a start since July 29 and dealt with fatigue and weight loss.
Since the beginning of August the Yankees have scored the second most runs in the league. They are seventh in on-base percentage and have gotten it done with timely hitting and a strong mix of power and small ball. New York leads the league in stolen bases since the All-Star break.
Aaron Judge, Luke Voit and Joey Gallo all have multiple home runs in the last week, and Tyler Wade is batting .435 in 10 games since the Torres injury.
Angels-Yankees Pick
With the Yankees correctly a sizeable favorite but an unplayable moneyline price, I am going to look to play the total in this game.
While I am a little nervous given the two scheduling situations we could see some regulars get a day off, I think this is a good spot for an over play.
Suarez has struggled since being added to the Angels starting rotation, and he has allowed at least three runs in four straight starts.
While Cole is still one of the best pitcher’s in the entire league, he hasn’t been as untouchable as he was earlier in the season. He is also coming off a rough bout with COVID-19, and it is unclear how long he will pitch, and the condition he will be in.
Once the starters exit, the Angels bullpen ranks 22nd in the league in ERA over the last month and has really struggled all season. The Yankees bullpen is typically one of the best, but has looked shaky recently. Jonathan Loaisiga has been their best reliever but has pitched two days in a row, along with Lucas Luetge so they are both likely unavailable. Chapman and Holmes are still out, and Britton is pretty much unusable right now.
I like this total to go over the 8.5 and would play it to -115.
Pick: Over 8.5 (-110)
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