Steph Chambers/Getty Images. Pictured: Luke Voit.
Yankees vs. Royals Odds
| Yankees Odds | -120 |
| Royals Odds | +105 |
| Over/Under | 9.5 |
| Time | 2:10 p.m. ET |
| TV | MLB Network |
| Odds as of Wednesday and via DraftKings. | |
I am starting to think this Yankees team might be cursed. It is the beginning of August and they have already set a franchise record with 41 stints on the injured list this year. They lead MLB with 15 players on the IL (or COVID list) since the All-Star break.
New York is currently without Luis Severino, Clarke Schmidt, Aaron Hicks, Corey Kluber, Clint Frazier, Darren O’Day, Michael King, Miguel Andujar, Tim Locastro, Trey Amburgey, Chris Gittens, Yoendrys Gomez, Domingo German, Gio Urshela, Jordan Montgomery, Gerrit Cole, Gary Sanchez, Aroldis Chapman, Anthony Rizzo, and Gleyber Torres. They could field an entire lineup with just the guys on the injured list.
Despite all the injuries and COVID affecting this team, they are still 11-4 in their last 15 games and have climbed to just two games out of a wild-card position.
The Yankees took game one of the series with a wild back-and-forth contest that ended in the 11th inning. Kansas City bounced back to get the win on Tuesday night, and the series will be decided with an afternoon contest on Wednesday.
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Yankees Roster Is A Revolving Door
The Yankees pitching staff is incredibly thin right now. Corey Kluber, Domingo German, Jordan Montgomery and Gerrit Cole are all missing from the starting rotation at the moment. The Yankees will once again be forced to go with a bullpen on Wednesday afternoon. Even after Tuesday’s game, Aaron Boone still was not sure who would serve as the opener.
Over the last two weeks, the Yankees offense has really gotten things going, despite the constant platoon of bodies in and out of the lineup. The Bronx Bombers sit sixth in runs per game over the last two weeks.
New York has totally flipped its style up with their big bats going in-and-out of the lineup. Prior to the All-Star break, the Yankees had the fewest stolen bases in the league with just 20. They now already have stolen 20 bases since the All-Star break, the most in the league since the break.
The Yankees are missing Sanchez, Urshela, Rizzo, and Torres but still have a strong lineup with DJ LeMahieu, Stanton, Aaron Judge, Joey Gallo, and Luke Voit.
Can Singer Improve For Royals?
The Kansas City pitching staff ranks 26th in the league with a 4.90 collective ERA, Their young arms have not performed the way they hopped, including 2018 first-round pick Brady Singer (RHP). In 19 starts, he has a 3-7 record with a 5.13 ERA
Wednesday will be Singer’s first start since July 17 after a sting on the injured list with right shoulder fatigue. The 25-year old really only throws two pitches: his sinker and his slider. Both have allowed a batting average over .250 this year.
Despite starting the season hitting the much better than expected, the Royals offense has dried up. Since the All-Star break they rank just 28th in wOBA and 29th in wRC+.
Salvador Perez and Whit Merrifield have been Kansas City’s two best hitters this season. Perez led the Royals to a victory against New York last night with a pair of home runs. He now has six dingers in the last 12 games.
Yankees-Royals Pick
Despite not knowing who the Yankees will start, they should have most of their better arms available and be able to use Chad Green, Jonathan Loaisiga, Lucas Luetge and the recently acquired Clay Homes who has been really good since coming over from Pittsburgh. New York ranks seventh in bullpen ERA this season.
We could see the Royals bullpen early too, and the Kansas City relievers rank just 24th in ERA this year. Singer has struggled to pitch deep into games this year, averaging just 4.6 innings per start. Because he throws just two pitches, teams are able to pick them up quickly. He has allowed a 3.05 ERA the first time through the order, but that quickly jumps to a 7.47 ERA the second time hitters see him.
In his start against the Yankees on June 22, Singer lasted just 3 2/3 innings, allowing two runs and five hits. He walked five batters and allowed home runs to Luke Voit and Kyle Higashioka.
The Yankees have the much better lineup. are clearly the better team and are playing really solid baseball over the last couple of weeks. With New York going with a bullpen game and the uncertainty around the starter, I think there is value on the Yankees at a short price of -120. I would play them down to -130.
Pick: New York Yankees ML
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