Astros vs. Yankees Pick
Are the host New York Yankees going to pull closer in the ALCS best-of-7 series with a win over the Houston Astros Monday night? First pitch is at 8:08PM EST.
Oddsmakers at sports book Bovada.lv have listed the Yankees as a -137 favorite to win on the moneyline. The Astros are a +117 underdog and the over-under is 8.5 runs.
Houston took a 2-0 lead in the series Saturday with a 2-1 victory as Carlos Correa drove in Jose Altuve with an RBI double in the bottom of the ninth inning for the game-winning run. Correa also had a solo home run to account for the other run. Justin Verlander threw a complete-game gem as he gave up one earned run on five hits with 13 strikeouts and one walk. Altuve was 2-for-4 with the run, while Correa finished 2-for-3 with the home run plus the double and a walk. Brett Gardner, Aaron Hicks and Todd Frazier all had a double for the Yankees. Aroldis Chapman suffered the loss in relief.
Pitching Game 3 for the Astros will be Charlie Morton (14-7, 3.62 ERA), while the Yankees turn to CC Sabathia (14-5, 3.69). Morton carried a 1.19 WHIP with 163 strikeouts over 146 2/3 innings during the regular season. He allowed two earned runs on seven hits with six strikeouts and one walk over 4 1/3 innings in a 5-4 series-clinching victory in Game 4 of the ALDS at Boston.
The Astros are 7-2 in nine meetings with New York this season following the Game 2 win. The total has gone over five times.
This is a must-win game for the Yankees and will be treated as such. If Sabathia struggles out of the gate, New York manager Joe Girardi will not hesitate to turn to the bullpen. That could happen too as the Astros have crushed left-handed pitching this year. Morton has been a solid addition to the Houston rotation this season and expect him to give five or six solid innings. It’s hard to envision the right-handed power hitters in the Houston lineup not having success in the hitter’s haven of Yankees Stadium. We’re going to take the Astros to grab a commanding 3-0 series lead.
MLB DAILY PREDICTION: HOUSTON ASTROS +117