New York Yankees at Houston Astros MLB Picks & Predictions 4/8/2019

Monday, April 8, 2019

Minute Maid Park

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Masahiro Tanaka vs. Justin Verlander

The New York Yankees visit Minute Maid Park on Monday, April 8, 2019 to play the Houston Astros. The probable starters are Masahiro Tanaka for the Yankees and Justin Verlander for the Astros.

The opening line for this matchup has New York at +123 and Houston at -133. The Yankees have a 4-4-0 over/under record and a 4-4-0 run line mark. The Astros are 2-7-0 against the run line and have a 1-8-0 over/under record.

Valuable New York Yankees Betting Trends

The New York Yankees are 4-4-0 against the over/under

The New York Yankees are 4-4-0 against the run line

Important Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Houston Astros are 1-8-0 against the over/under

The Houston Astros are 2-7-0 against the run line

Key New York Yankees Injuries

04/03/19 3B Miguel Andujar Shoulder is out indefinitely
04/03/19 SS Troy Tulowitzki Calf 10-day IL (04/03)
04/01/19 DH Giancarlo Stanton Biceps 10-day IL (04/01)
03/30/19 P Ben Heller Elbow 10-day IL (03/25)
03/30/19 CF Jacoby Ellsbury Hip 10-day IL (03/25)
03/25/19 CF Aaron Hicks Back 10-day IL (03/25)
03/25/19 P CC Sabathia Knee 10-day IL (04/03)
03/25/19 P Dellin Betances Shoulder 10-day IL (03/25)
03/25/19 SS Didi Gregorius Elbow 60-day IL (03/25)
03/25/19 P Jordan Montgomery Elbow 60-day IL (03/23)
03/25/19 P Luis Severino Shoulder 10-day IL (03/25)

Key Houston Astros Injuries

03/28/19 P Joe Smith Achilles 10-day IL (03/25)
03/28/19 P Lance McCullers Jr Elbow 10-day IL (03/25); is out for season

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Yankees have a 4-4 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Masahiro Tanaka has a 1-0 record with an earned run average of 1.46 and a WHIP of 1.14 this season. He has 12 strikeouts over his 12.1 innings pitched and he's given up 14 hits. He's allowed 10.2 hits per 9 innings. The bullpen has an earned run average of 2.59 and they have given up 21 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .179 against the bullpen and they've struck out 34 hitters and walked 13 batters. As a team, New York allows 7.4 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.9 batters per nine innings. They are 6th in the league in team earned run average at 2.88. The Yankees pitchers collectively have given up 59 base hits and 23 earned runs. They have allowed 6 home runs this season, ranking them 23rd in the league. New York as a pitching staff has walked 27 batters and struck out 79. They have walked 3.4 men per 9 innings while striking out 9.9 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.19 and their FIP as a unit is 3.04.

Hitting Statistics

As a team New York is hitting .254, good for 10th in the league. The Yankees hold a .436 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .354, which is good for 6th in baseball. They rank 11th in MLB with 8.4 hits per game. Gleyber Torres is hitting .367 with an on-base percentage of .424. He has 11 hits this season in 30 at bats with 4 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .633 and an OPS+ of 196. Aaron Judge is hitting .290 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .405. He has totaled 9 hits and he has driven in 6 men in 31 at bats. His OPS+ is 160 while his slugging percentage is at .516. The Yankees have 67 hits, including 9 doubles and 13 home runs. New York has walked 37 times so far this season and they have struck out 79 times as a unit. They have left 64 men on base and have a team OPS of .790. They score 4.25 runs per contest and have scored a total of 34 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Houston has a 4-5 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 4.09, Justin Verlander has a 1-0 record and a 1.18 WHIP. He has 13 strikeouts over the 11 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 9 hits. He's allowing 7.4 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.86. The bullpen has an earned run average of 1.90 and they have given up 16 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .193 against the Astros bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 31 batters and walked 5 opposing hitters. As a team, Houston allows 6.4 hits per nine innings while striking out 10.5 batters per nine innings. They are 4th in the league in team earned run average at 2.49. The Astros pitchers as a team have surrendered 54 base knocks and 21 earned runs this season. They have given up 6 home runs this year, which ranks 25th in Major League Baseball. Houston as a staff has walked 18 hitters and struck out 89 batters. They give up a walk 2.1 times per 9 innings while they strike out 10.5 per 9. Their team WHIP is 0.95 while their FIP as a staff is 2.46.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .250, good for 11th in the league. The Astros hold a .404 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .317, which is good for 16th in baseball. They rank 14th in MLB with 8.1 hits per contest. George Springer comes into this matchup batting .324 with an OBP of .385. He has 11 hits this year along with 7 RBI in 34 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .588 with an OPS+ of 176. Michael Brantley is hitting .219 this season and he has an OBP of .265. He has collected 7 hits in 32 at bats while driving in 6 runs. He has an OPS+ of 98 and a slugging percentage of .438. The Astros as a unit have 73 base hits, including 15 doubles and 10 homers. Houston has walked 27 times this year and they have struck out on 63 occasions. They have had 62 men left on base and have an OPS of .721. They have scored 2.67 runs per game and totaled 24 runs this season.

Who will win tonight's Yankees/Astros MLB game against the spread?

Tony's Pick: Take the Yankees +123

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