The Los Angeles Angels (59-60, 26-30 away) and the New York Yankees (65-32, 32-25 home) battle each other Monday night in a makeup game that was postponed on July 1st due to weather. Los Angeles owns a 2-1 record against the Yankees in head-to-head matchups this season.
The first pitch for Monday’s matchup is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. EST inside Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, N.Y. According to oddsmakers, the Yankees are a heavy favorite (-280), and the run total over-under is at 8.5.
What to Know – Los Angeles Angels
Los Angeles continues to watch their playoff hopes slip away as the second half of the season progresses. The Angels are 4-6 over their last ten games and have slipped to 9.5 games outside of the second spot in the wild card. In the American League West division, the Angels are 12 games back of the first-place Houston Astros.
The expected starter for the Angels is left-hander Jose Suarez (5-5, 3.90 ERA, 1.25 WHIP). Suarez began the season out of the bullpen but transitioned to a starting role toward the end of June. The 23-year old tossed 5.1 innings in his last trip to the mound, surrendering four earned runs on seven hits and two walks with two strikeouts.
The Angels offense ranks 19th in the majors with a .313 on-base percentage and ninth in slugging percentage (.420). Los Angeles continues to be without the services of star outfielder Mike Trout, who continues to rehab a calf strain that has had him on the shelf since mid-May. Shohei Ohtani continues to make a case for AL MVP; the two-way star leads the majors with 39 home runs and ranks third with 86 runs driven in.
What to Know – New York Yankees
New York continues to be one of the hottest teams in the second half of the season, winning nine of their last 12 games. The Yankees have only lost one series since the All-Star game and remain outside the playoff picture. New York is 2.5 games back of the second wild card spot in the AL.
Staff ace Gerrit Cole (10-6, 3.11 ERA, 0.99 WHIP) is penciled in to start for the Yankees after a stint on the IL due to COVID. The right-hander has seen a regression on the mound this season since an emphasis on the control of foreign substances was put into place. In his last outing, Cole was rocked, allowing seven runs over 5.1 innings against the Tampa Bay Rays.
The Yankees’ offense is heating up, and the lineup ranks ninth in the MLB in on-base percentage (.326) and 21st in slugging (.396). Slugger Aaron Judge has rebounded at the plate after a poor 2020 season, leading the Bronx Bombers in home runs (26) and RBIs (63). The Yankees lineup has faced setbacks all season, with injuries plaguing the veteran lineup most of the year.
The Pick Is In
Cole has been lit up on the mound in recent starts and is coming off a recent stint on the IL. Suarez won’t scare anyone on the mound, and the Yankees should be able to score quickly off the young southpaw. The Angels get a few runs, and New York takes care of the rest to push the run total over.
The Pick: Angels/Yankees OVER 8.5
