The Yankees look to breakthrough against tonight’s starter in the first game of a three-game set at Yankee Stadium.
Seattle Mariners at New York Yankees
Seattle continues its season-high 12-game road trip in taking on the New York Yankees in a three-game set in the Bronx. The Mariners are averaging a league-worst 3.3 runs per game and have managed to hit just 75 home runs this season. The club is a solid 6-3 under interim manager Daren Brown and is coming off back-to-back wins over the Baltimore Orioles. Offensively, the team is being led by second baseman Chone Figgins, as he has collected a hit in 15 of his past 21 games. Over its past 11 games, the bullpen has allowed just seven earned runs on 18 hits in 28 innings, producing a 2.25 ERA in the process. Seattle is 20-41 on the road overall this season (-1,810) and the total is 30-26 O/U over that span. The Mariners are also 4-12 as a road underdog of +100 to +125 (-780) and 23-31 in this situation the last three years (-540).
Mariners starting pitcher Felix Hernandez is 8-10 with a 2.62 ERA in 26 starts this season, but the club has dropped four of his last five outings. He was handed a 9-1 defeat in Cleveland last time out despite not allowing a single earned run (six unearned) in 6.2 innings of work. The right-hander is 2-6 with a 2.78 ERA in 13 road starts this season, allowing opponents to hit for a .237 average. He will be making his 19th nighttime start, posting an even 7-7 record and 2.74 ERA. In seven career outings versus the Yankees, Hernandez has compiled a 4-3 record and 3.16 ERA, including a 2-0 mark and 0.50 ERA in two starts against New York in 2010.
New York is riding a three-game win streak into this weekend set and has posted a major league-best 97-45 home record. All-Star third baseman Alex Rodriguez has missed three straight games with a left calf injury, but the team managed to win its first series this month against Detroit and moved it record to 40-21 at home with a 11-5 win on Thursday. “It’s good because we haven’t been winning series,” said manager Joe Girardi. “In our division, you need to win series.” The Yankees are averaging 8.7 runs during its current streak. The club is still just an even 9-9 this month (-460) and 43-31 in August over the last three seasons (-120). New York has also beat up on teams with a losing record all year, compiling a 41-20 record overall, which includes a 16-6 mark in the second half of the season (+420).
Yankees starting pitcher A.J. Burnett is 9-10 with a 4.66 ERA and the team has dropped his last three starts by a 13-9 margin. Over that span, he has allowed 12 runs and 18 hits over 19.2 innings, while giving up three home runs. The right-hander is an even 4-4 with a 4.24 ERA in 10 home starts, as opponents are hitting for a combined .266 average. He will be making his 18th nighttime start in the first game of this series, posting a 6-7 record and 5.35 ERA, which is off from his even 3-3 mark and 3.02 ERA during the day. In five overall starts versus the Mariners, Burnett has produced a 2-1 record and 3.00 ERA, issuing just seven walks while compiling 34 punch outs.
Bettors will find that the Mariners are a promising 8-1 in their last nine games after an off day and also 6-1 in Hernandez’s last seven starts versus the AL East. The Yankees have produced a 9-3 mark in their last 12 games against Western foes, but are just 3-8 in Burnett’s last 11 outings as a favorite.
