Yankees vs Rangers | Preview, Odds & Pick

MLB Baseball Free Pick – Yankees vs Rangers – ALCS Game 1

vs.

New York Yankees at Texas Rangers
Friday October 15^th at 8:00 PM ET
FREE Expert MLB Picks

NY: CC Sabathia 1-0, 4.50
TEX: CJ Wilson 1-0, 0.00

The New York Yankees and the Texas Rangers face off on Friday at 8pm for game one of the American League Championship Series.

The Rangers are fresh off their first postseason win in team history as Cliff Lee tossed another postseason gem to close out Game 5 for the win.

Meanwhile, the Yankees finished off Minnesota in an easy three games. In their previous postseason appearances, the Rangers lost all nine games in the three series they played — all of those were against the Yankees. It will take some creativity from Texas to get the monkey off their backs.

New York has a distinct advantage coming into the series with a few extra days rest. It allows them to start game one with their ace CC Sabathia. The big left-hander won the first game in round one, but suffered some location issues. In six innings of work, he allowed five hits, a homerun, and struck out five. Against Texas for his career he is 8-3, 4.29.

Texas will send CJ Wilson to the mound in Game 1.  That’s a bit of a disadvantage though Wilson pitched extremely well in his first postseason start. Against Tampa Bay, he went 6 2/3 innings allowing only two hits, striking out seven, and ended up with the win. For his career against New York, he is 0-3 with a 4.12 ERA. While I’m sure Texas wishes they could have their ace Cliff Lee for the matchup, they may be a strategic advantage in starting Wilson, if he continues his success and secures a win, Lee can matchup against New York’s number two Andy Pettitte.

The hitting for New York seems to always be show up at some point, and against the Twins, they had a few crucial hits off the bench. Lance Berkman, who hit a homer and a controversial double in Game 2, is hitting .333 with three RBIs in his short American League career against Wilson, while Robinson Cano, an MVP candidate this year, has two hits in nine AB’s against Wilson, and team captain Derek Jeter is 2-6 with a homerun.

Likewise, the Texas offense has been steady if unspectacular. Ian Kinsler provided some key hits against Tampa Bay, and Nelson Cruz found his power stroke, but Josh Hamilton has yet to contribute, and against New York, he will be much needed.

Recent reports have said he is suffering from rib cage soreness, which is lingering from his September stint on the DL. The smart thing would be to drop him down in the lineup and go with the hot bats in the power spots. He was 2-18 in the series, while spark plug Michael Young was 3-20, but he did provide a crucial three-run homer in game two.

The odds makers have the New York Yankees as a -1.5 point favorite with an over/under run total of 8.

Matt’s Prediction: It’s hard to bet against New York here, especially when the offense was able to cover Sabathia in a less than stellar start. On the other hand, Texas was able to win the series without a healthy Josh Hamilton. I’m going with Texas in this one, and a surprising showing by CJ Wilson turns him into a Texas hero when he beats CC for a 1-0 advantage.

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New York Yankees Betting Trends:

• NY Yankees are 4-2 SU in their last 6 games
• The total has gone OVER in 5 of NY Yankees’s last 7 games
• The total has gone OVER in 5 of NY Yankees’s last 6 games on the road
• NY Yankees are 1-4 SU in their last 5 games when playing Texas

Texas Rangers Betting Trends:

• The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Texas’s last 5 games
• Texas is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games at home
• Texas is 4-1 SU in their last 5 games when playing NY Yankees
• Texas is 7-15 SU in their last 22 games when playing at home against NY Yankees