Sunday, March 19, 2017

The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches

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Probable Pitchers: Adam Warren vs. Lance McCullers

The New York Yankees visit The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches on Sunday, March 19, 2017 to play the Houston Astros in a Spring Training matchup. The probable starters are Adam Warren for the Yankees and Lance McCullers for the Astros.

The opening line for this matchup has New York at +105 and Houston at -125. The Yankees had a 72-80-10 over/under record and a 81-81-0 run line mark last season, meaning they covered 50% of the time. The Astros were 72-90-0 against the run line and had a 73-81-8 over/under record. They covered the spread 44% of the time.

The Yankees are coming off a 84-78 record in 2016, including 36-45 on the road. Starting pitcher Adam Warren had a 7-4 record with an earned run average of 4.68 and a WHIP of 1.35. He had 52 strikeouts over his 65.1 innings pitched and he gave up 59 hits last season. He allowed 8.1 hits per 9 innings and he had a FIP of 5.12. The bullpen last year had an earned run average of 3.67 and they gave up 426 base hits on the year. Teams hit .221 against the bullpen while being struck out 578 times and walking 184 times last season. As a team, New York allowed 8.56 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.78 batters per nine innings. They were 15th in the league in team earned run average at 4.16. The Yankees pitchers collectively gave up 1,358 base hits and 660 earned runs. They allowed 214 home runs last season and they allowed 1.3 homers per nine innings as a staff. New York as a pitching staff walked 444 batters and struck out 1,393. They walked 2.8 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.8 per 9. They had a team WHIP of 1.26 and their FIP as a unit was 4.20.

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As a team New York batted .252, good for 20th in the league while putting together a .251 average away from home. The Yankees held a .405 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .314 which was good for 25th in baseball. They ranked 21st in baseball with 8.5 hits per game. Brett Gardner is coming off a 2016 season in which he hit .261 with an on-base percentage of .351. He had 143 hits last season along with 80 runs scored and 41 runs batted in. He struck out 106 times and walked 70 times. Didi Gregorius hit .276 last year and he had an on-base percentage of .304. He totaled 155 hits while scoring 68 runs and he drove in 70. He walked 19 times and struck out on 82 occasions. The Yankees had 1,377 hits, including 245 doubles and 183 home runs. They stole 72 bases and were thrown out stealing 22 times. New York walked 475 times last season and they struck out 1,188 times as a unit. They left 1,098 men on base and had a team OPS of .720. They scored 4.2 runs per contest and scored a total of 680 runs last year.

Houston had a 43-38 home record and a 84-78 overall mark in 2016. With an earned run average of 3.22, Lance McCullers had a 6-5 record and a 1.54 WHIP last season. He had 106 strikeouts over the 81 innings he pitched during which he gave up 80 hits. He allowed 8.9 hits per nine innings and his FIP stood at 3. Last season the bullpen had an earned run average of 3.56 and they gave up 475 base hits on the year. Teams hit .227 against the Astros bullpen while being struck out 617 times and walking 153 times last season. As a team, Houston allowed 8.84 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.56 batters per nine innings. They were 11th in the league in team earned run average at 4.07. The Astros pitchers as a team surrendered 1,441 base knocks and 663 earned runs last season. They gave up 181 home runs last year and they gave up 1.1 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Houston as a staff walked 453 hitters and struck out 1,396. They gave up a walk 2.8 times per 9 innings while they struck out 8.6 per 9. Their team WHIP was 1.29 while their FIP as a staff was 3.85.

As a team, they batted .247, good for 24th in the league while putting together a .238 average at home. The Astros held a .417 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .319 which was good for 19th in baseball. They ranked 23rd in baseball with 8.44 hits per contest. George Springer comes into this matchup after batting .261 with an OBP of .359. He had 168 hits last year along with 116 runs scored and 82 RBI. He struck out 178 times and walked on 88 occasions. Jose Altuve hit .338 in 2016 and he had an OBP of .396. He collected 216 hits while scoring 108 runs and driving in 96. He earned a walk 60 times and punched out 70 times. The Astros as a unit had 1,367 base hits, including 291 doubles and 198 homers. They had 102 stolen bases and were thrown out 44 times. Houston as a team walked 554 times last year and they struck out 1,452 times. They had 1,086 men left on base and had an OPS of .735. They scored 4.47 runs per game and totaled 724 runs last season.

New York Yankees Betting Trends

The New York Yankees were 72-80-10 against the over/under last season

The New York Yankees were 81-81-0 against the run line last season

Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Houston Astros were 73-81-8 against the over/under last season

The Houston Astros were 72-90-0 against the run line last season

Injuries to Watch

New York Yankees

No key injuries to report

Houston Astros

No key injuries to report

Tony's Pick: Take the Yankees +105

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