New York Yankees at Houston Astros Betting Preview/Prop Picks

The Yankees and the Astros have a history against each other, which will be highlighted in tonight’s game. New York, fresh off of a three-game sweep over the Athletics, will head out to Houston.

They recently faced the Astros in the series before Oakland, and the series was split 2-2. The Yankees will look to get a fast start against them tonight and go up 1-0 to start this one.

The Astros have other plans, especially since they’re playing at home this time. Houston comes off of two wins over one of the best teams in MLB, the New York Mets.

They won the series 2-0 against the Mets, marking the second time they beat them in a series. With another New York team in front of them, the Astros look to strengthen their hold on the AL West.

New York Yankees: New York is on their way to 60 wins already

The Yankees are 56-20 after winning their last four games. Their success this season could be attributed to a few things. One would be their pitching, which we’ll get a good look at tonight with Luis Severino on the mound.

Severino is 4-2 this season with an ERA of 3.38 over the course of 72.0 innings. With Severino out there, the Yankees should do well against Houston’s batters.

Speaking of batting, the Yankees are among the best in the league in many categories. In terms of runs, they rank first overall with 383 this season.

The team batting average is +239, which ranks 18th; this could clearly be improved. However, they have a .434 slugging percentage (2nd) and a .323 on-base percentage (7th). This alone could be enough for a Yankees win.

Houston Astros: Houston will need a strong showing at the plate

One of the most important pieces for the Astros to win this game is batting. With Severino out on the mound for the Yankees, it’ll be a tough day. If the Astros can start strong, they’ll have a good chance at winning here.

The good news is that they’ve faced teams with great pitching, including the New York Mets. With a 47-27 record, the Astros have a firm grip on the AL West.

However, even with a great record, the Astros will need to be at their best today. On the mound is Luis Garcia, who is 5-5 with a 3.68 ERA this season.

We’d be a bit more comfortable if the Astros were better at the plate this season. They have a team batting average of .238, which ranks 20th in MLB. Still, we can’t ignore the fact that they’ve beaten some of the best teams.

New York Yankees at Houston Astros Betting Pick

After looking at what these teams are bringing, we really like the Astros here. Houston has a 20-11 record at home this season and is a strong pitcher on the mound. They also have the momentum of beating the New York Mets yesterday. They come in as +104 underdogs as well, which will boost our winnings. 

We’ll also pair the under to this pick as well, especially after looking at recent Yankees games. In their last six games, the total has gone under four times. Severino and Garcia will likely keep the runs to a minimum, so the under is the best bet.

DunkelIndex Free Pick: Houston Astros +104, UNDER

Prop Picks

NY Yankees (+115) UNDER 3.5 Runs

Houston is allowing 3.41 runs per 9 innings on defense, which ranks No. 3 in the league, with an opposing team BA of .215, which ranks No. 2. Scores have gone UNDER in eight of Astros’ last nine Thursday games.

With Dunkel predicting a Houston victory by the score of 3-2, take the Yankees (+115) to finish UNDER their Vegas team total of 3.5 runs against the Astros.

Luis Garcia (-160) OVER 4.5 Strikeouts

Garcia has recorded 74 strikeouts in 71.0 innings pitched this season for an average of 9.4 Ks per 9 innings. The Astros righthander has 38 strikeouts in 33 innings pitched at home.

With Dunkel predicting a Houston win while holding the Yankees UNDER their Vegas run total, take Garcia (-160) to finish OVER 4.5 strikeouts versus New York.

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