Yankees vs Astros Odds: What Else Can Go Wrong for The Yankees?

The Yankees are in unfamiliar territory. It’s September, and the Yankees are playing for nothing. They’re more than ten games out of a Wild Card spot and just put Harrison Bader on waivers.

They’ve waived the white flag.

Maybe they should’ve done that sooner, before the MLB Trade Deadline. But there’s nothing that the Yankees can do about it now.

They’ll take on a Houston Astros team that is also not a lock for a playoff spot. The Astros are competing with the Rangers and Mariners for the AL West, and they’re also competing with the Rays, Mariners, Rangers, and Blue Jays for three AL Wild Card spots.

The AL West is wide open heading into September. Anything can happen in the American League Baseball standings 2023. The Mariners, Rangers, or Astros could take the AL West. Meanwhile, the other two teams would still have the potential to make the postseason in the AL Wild Card. The AL West could legitimately have three teams make the postseason this year.

For that to happen, the Astros must take care of business over the weekend. Here’s a look at the Yankees vs Astros odds for the three-game series.

What Went Wrong For The Yankees?

The Yankees were never great on paper, to begin with.

Last year, for most of the second half of the season, Aaron Judge carried the Yankees into the postseason. He put together a historic season, where he hit 62 home runs.

But the lineup was never perfect.

Fast forward to this year, the Yankees didn’t change much. Anthony Rizzo got hurt at first base. Aaron Judge got hurt playing in right field. Giancarlo Stanton had multiple stints on the injured list and can barely run right now.

Meanwhile, the Yankees got little production from Josh Donaldson and brought up top prospect Anthony Volpe, who might’ve been unprepared for the Major Leagues.

If you think that’s not good, wait until you hear about the pitching staff.

Frankie Montas was acquired in last year’s MLB Trade Deadline, but he hasn’t started a single game for the Yankees this year. The Yankees also gave out a hefty contract to Carlos Rodon. He landed on the injured list to begin the season and hasn’t been the same since returning.

Luis Severino started the season on the injured list. When he returned, he quickly became the worst starter in the MLB.

And most recently, Harrison Bader was put on waivers after the Yankees traded away Jordan Montgomery for Bader in last year’s MLB Trade Deadline.

Nothing went right for the Yankees this year. I guess there’s always next year.

Will Michael Brantley Be an X-Factor for the Astros?

The Astros have taken Michael Brantley off the 60-day injured list. He’ll likely play a lot of designated hitter for the Astros in his 15th season in the MLB.

Brantley has 127 career home runs and 713 career RBIs. He’s a career .297 hitter and has a career OPS of .355. He had an admirable career, and it’s not over yet.

Houston fans weren’t sure if they’d see or hear Brantley’s name this season. But he’s back. And he’s a hitting machine.

Last year, Brantley hit a .152 ISO and wOBa of .355 against 188 righties. He only struck out 10.1% of the time and walked 11.7%. Yes, he walked more than he struck out against lefties. Brantley didn’t have as much power against lefties last year. But he still limited strikeouts to 12.6% against 87 lefties the previous year.

If nothing else, Brantley will limit strikeouts and put the ball in play in September. Good things usually happen when batters do that.

Let’s look at the Yankees vs Astros odds and probable for this three-game series in Houston.

The Yankees will pitch Carlos Rodon for the start of the three-game series. Typically, this would be a tough matchup on the MLB schedule for the Astros in September. But now, this series seems like a cakewalk.

Carlos Rodon has watched his last 75 batters hit a .312 ISO and wOBA of .407 in the previous 30 days. He’s been awful against lefties and righties. It doesn’t matter.

Rodon will face Justin Verlander, who has allowed a .130 ISO and wOBA of .310 to his last 127 batters. Verlander’s strikeouts are up in the previous 30 days, and he’s only walked 5.5% in that time frame.

Meanwhile, the Yankees will face three righties against the Astros in this series. The projected lineup has only hit an ISO of .139 with a wOBA of .262 against righties. That’s including Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, who have put up outstanding numbers against righties. New York has limited strikeouts, but the power is lacking down that lineup.

The Astros are favorites despite having their prized starting pitcher, Carlos Rodon, on the mound. The Yankees vs Astros odds have the Yankees at +190 and the Astros at -230, with the total at 8.5. Don’t second guess the MLB lines. The Astros are much better, especially with Verlander on the bump.

If you thought Carlos Rodon’s stats were terrible. Wait until you hear about Luis Severino. Severino has allowed a .251 ISO and wOBA of .395 to 382 batters this season.

However, in his defense, Severino has improved over the last 30 days. Severino has allowed a ..234 ISO and wOBA of .330 to his previous 104 batters. He’s earned nearly 54% of grounders against righties in the last month and has struck out over 20% of batters in the previous 30 days.

He’ll take on a young pitcher in Hunter Brown. Brown is a righty, allowing a .291 ISO and wOBA of .399 to his last 94 batters. While so many people laugh at Severino, Brown’s been worse over the previous month.

Brown will earn his strikeouts and can keep walks down, but he’s allowed over 49% of hard contact and over 31% of fly balls.

Can I say that the Yankees will win this game? I think they will.

The fun will continue in Game 3. This is the Sunday Night Baseball game for ESPN’s baseball schedule.

Johny Brito will likely start for the Yankees here. Brito has allowed a .297 ISO and wOBA of .397 to his last 68 batters. He’s been much worse against lefties. Therefore, Yordan Alvarez and Kyle Tucker should dominate against Brito in this MLB matchup.

Brito will face Christian Javier, who has been dreadful over the last 30 days and throughout the season. Javier, like Severino, had high expectations coming into the season and hasn’t delivered. Javier has allowed a .258 ISO and wOBA of .400 over the last 30 days. He’s also struck out 14% of batters while walking 14% of batters in the previous 30 days.

The Astros have the better lineup. They’ll likely win this game. However, the Over is more appealing in this potential rubber match.

For MLB betting news, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.

Can’t get enough? Here’s more!

• Giants vs Padres Preview: San Francisco Clinging to Playoff Spot
• Atlanta Braves vs Los Angeles Dodgers Series Preview
• Marlins vs Nationals Series Preview: Miami’s Playoff Push Potential
• Garrett Cooper Stats: Expect Cooper to Land With Another Team Next Year
• Shane Bieber Stats: Injury Sidelines Cleveland Guardians Ace Since July