Yankees +125
The Yankees actually trading at a discount. The reason is that there is an embedded premium on the Angels simply because they are being deemed as being in a “must win” situation. Last time I checked, must wins do not result in wins (or else teams would not get eliminated). The Yankees have now won five straight playoff games, and seem to be playing with the confidence that they have during the playoffs several years back. Pettite is a crafty veteran with a lot of playoff experience. The second half of the season, he was one of the best pitchers in the AL. Although his career numbers against the Angels is less than impressive, there are only two starters on the Angels with solid career numbers against him. He is one of the hardest pitchers to steal against, which takes away one of the Angels best weapons, their speed on the base paths. Weaver is overvalued in this spot. He has been dominated by the Yankees in his career, got consistently roughed up against them this year, and has been nothing more than average since the all star break. He has really struggled against left handed bats. This does not bode well for him, as he will have to face seven quality ones today. The Yankees have a nice bullpen edge. People claiming that the Yankees had great home field advantage in New York due to the weather, and now that HFA has turned is not telling the entire story, as the Yankees style of hitting benefits from warmer weather than the Angels.
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Over 8.5
Both starters have struggled against their opposing lineups. Both lineups are two of the best in baseball, and have been hampered by the weather they have recently played in. Both bullpens have been used a lot. One bullpen has been overachieving and simply outclassed by the opposing lineup. Weaver’s past struggles against the Yankees is sustainable. The Yankees scoring at least four, and locking in at least break even with these two bets seems to have a strong possibility.
The Yankees actually trading at a discount. The reason is that there is an embedded premium on the Angels simply because they are being deemed as being in a “must win” situation. Last time I checked, must wins do not result in wins (or else teams would not get eliminated). The Yankees have now won five straight playoff games, and seem to be playing with the confidence that they have during the playoffs several years back. Pettite is a crafty veteran with a lot of playoff experience. The second half of the season, he was one of the best pitchers in the AL. Although his career numbers against the Angels is less than impressive, there are only two starters on the Angels with solid career numbers against him. He is one of the hardest pitchers to steal against, which takes away one of the Angels best weapons, their speed on the base paths. Weaver is overvalued in this spot. He has been dominated by the Yankees in his career, got consistently roughed up against them this year, and has been nothing more than average since the all star break. He has really struggled against left handed bats. This does not bode well for him, as he will have to face seven quality ones today. The Yankees have a nice bullpen edge. People claiming that the Yankees had great home field advantage in New York due to the weather, and now that HFA has turned is not telling the entire story, as the Yankees style of hitting benefits from warmer weather than the Angels.
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fficeffice" /><o> </o>Over 8.5
Both starters have struggled against their opposing lineups. Both lineups are two of the best in baseball, and have been hampered by the weather they have recently played in. Both bullpens have been used a lot. One bullpen has been overachieving and simply outclassed by the opposing lineup. Weaver’s past struggles against the Yankees is sustainable. The Yankees scoring at least four, and locking in at least break even with these two bets seems to have a strong possibility.
