Last Updated on June 7, 2016 2:19 pm by Brad Burns
Yanks’ Pineda tries to avoid clunker vs. Halos
Carlos Beltran’s wheels abandoned him several seasons ago. The New York right fielder’s bat, however, looks as lethal as ever.
Joe Girardi’s No. 3 hitter hopes to continue a torrid stretch in tonight’s middle tilt against the Angels, with a 7:05 p.m. ET first pitch in the Bronx. Handicappers at online sports book BetDSI like the host squad to capture its second straight in the series. Los Angeles, on the other hand, enters as a +134 underdog.
The Yankees prevailed yesterday, 5-2, on the strength of Beltran’s 14th homer of the campaign. Catcher Brian McCann and second baseman Starlin Castro rocketed bombs off Matt Shoemaker, too, but it’s Beltran with the .313 average and 10 clouts since May 9. At age 39, he’s also played in 56 of 57 contests so far.
This evening’s starting hurler, unfortunately, offers less certainty. Michael Pineda carries a 2-6 record and a 6.41 ERA into his meeting with the last-place Halos (26-31). The righty did manage to limit Detroit to one earned run and seven base knocks in 5 2/3 frames of a 5-4 victory last week. Nonetheless, he has ventured beyond the fifth in just six of 11 outings.
MLB Quick Links: Free Matchup Reports | Injuries | Odds Comparison | Scoreboard | Betting Trends
Los Angeles skipper Mike Scioscia probably can’t expect much more from David Huff. The 31-year-old essentially makes an emergency appearance for Nick Tropeano (right shoulder tightness). As a member of the Class AAA Salt Lake rotation, he went 0-1 with a 5.40 ERA in three assignments.
New York (27-30) genuinely needs to sweep the Angels in order to regain that AL East footing. We have no concerns about the offense, but Pineda’s peculiar regression means anything could happen in a few hours. Bank on all kinds of bats to go bananas.
TUESDAY MLB FREE PICK: ANGELS/YANKEES OVER 9.5 RUNS
Want More Picks, Predictions & Odds From The Spread.com? Follow on Twitter and Facebook or Subscribe to Our News Feeds!