Oakland Athletics Vs. New York Yankees (6/29/22) Starting Lineup, Betting Odds, Prediction
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The Yankees and Athletics come into Wednesday afternoon’s matchup nearly 30 games apart in the standings. New York holds the best record in baseball, while the A’s are dead last after tearing down their roster this winter. The disparity between these two was on display Monday night, when the Yankees scored 8 unanswered runs to overcome a 5-1 deficit and win. New York will be looking to keep its momentum going with Jameson Taillon on the mound facing Cole Irvin.
Let’s take a look at starting lineups, betting odds, and predictions for Wednesday’s matchup.
Oakland Athletics Vs. New York Yankees Betting Odds
The Yankees are clear favorites at -260 on the money line, with the A’s coming in at +220 underdogs. The over/under is set at 8.5. If the Yankees are going to lose any game in this series, it’s more likely to be Tuesday’s matchup with Oakland ace Frankie Montas on the mound. A +220 money line is worth a look just because of how much value is there on a getaway day for the Yankees, but Monday night showed just how big the talent gap is between these teams.
Oakland Athletics Starting Lineup
C. Irvin L
2-5 3.29 ERA
LF T. Kemp L
RF R. Laureano R
DH S. Brown L
C S. Murphy R
3B S. Neuse R
1B C. Bethancourt R
SS E. Andrus R
2B N. Allen R
CF C. Pache R
Oakland Athletics Vs. Jameson Taillon
Jameson Taillon has come back down to earth after climbing high up on ERA leaderboards earlier this month – he has 5.75 ERA over his last four starts and allowed a season-worst 6 ER last week against Houston. Believe it or not, the Yankees are 4-0 in those four starts by Taillon. In fact, they’re 12-1 over Taillon’s last 13 starts. Some of that is on the offense, but much of it is on Taillon. The former No. 2 overall pick has a 3.19 ERA over 14 starts (79 IP) this season, with a 3.31 FIP and 1.11 WHIP. Taillon has kept walks limited all season, averaging just 1 walk per nine innings while striking out 7.2 batters per nine.
The A’s average 3.2 runs/game, the second-lowest mark in baseball, and their 51 home runs also rank 29th in the league. Oakland is running out a patchwork lineup, for the most part, though the offense did manage 5 runs against Jordan Montgomery on Monday. The A’s have a .585 OPS in June, slightly behind both April and May, but the have hit better and played better overall on the road than at home. There isn’t much momentum for this offense: Oakland’s only two qualified hitters with an OPS north of .700 over the last seven days are Seth Brown and Nick Allen. Brown, with 10 home runs, is one of the A’s only power threats in Yankee Stadium.
New York Yankees Starting Lineup
J. Taillon R
8-1 3.19 ERA
3B D.J. LeMahieu R
RF A. Judge R
1B A. Rizzo L
LF G. Stanton R
DH J. Donaldson R
2B G. Torres R
SS I. Kiner-Falefa R
C J. Trevino R
CF A. Hicks S
New York Yankees Vs. Cole Irvin
Cole Irvin was one of the biggest surprises in baseball early last season, and while he struggled down the stretch, he remains a mainstay in Oakland’s rotation. Irvin has a 3.29 ERA over 12 starts (68.1 IP) this season, with a 4.30 FIP and 1.24 WHIP. While Irvin’s ERA is a run better than 2021, when he posted a 4.24 mark over a full 32 starts, his FIP, home run rate, and walk rate are almost identical, indicating he is what he is: a middling starter. That could still be enough for the A’s to get something of value for him at the trade deadline if they choose to go that route.
Irvin has been steady this year, only allowing more than 3 earned runs in one of his last 11 starts. He’s facing a powerful Yankees offense that hit a rough patch over the weekend, approaching records with 16 consecutive hitless innings against the Astros. Considering Irvin’s solid year and the Yankees’ penchant for comebacks, don’t be surprised if the Yankees put up most of their run production against Oakland’s bullpen. New York has 10 walk-off wins this season, and that doesn’t count comebacks like the one the Yankees put together on Monday. Like any pitcher, Irvin will have to watch out for Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, who have a combined 7 home runs over the last seven days. DJ LeMahieu is another name to watch – he has a 1.057 OPS over that same stretch. The Yankees could be without Gleyber Torres, who injured his ankle on Sunday but has avoided an IL stint so far.
Oakland Athletics Vs. New York Yankees Picks & Prediction
My pick: Under 8.5 Runs (-105)
A day game after a night game is usually a safe bet to be low-scoring, and this matchup seems to have a good chance to come in under 8.5 runs. Even if the Yankees’ bats continue to find their rhythm after their hitless streak, I’m not sure a terrible A’s offense will be able to do much against Jameson Taillon. If there’s any reason for caution, it looks like a light wind will be blowing out toward the outfield on a warm day, but it doesn’t look like it’ll be strong enough to have a major impact. Though the Yankees’ track record indicates they’ll win yet another Taillon start, it could be a quieter day for the bats before their trip to Houston later on.
