New York Yankees vs. Baltimore Orioles Game 2 – 9/11/20 MLB Pick, Odds, and Prediction
2020-09-11 19:05:00 EDT
The Baltimore Orioles and the New York Yankees meet Friday in MLB action from Yankee Stadium.
This will be the second game of a Friday doubleheader, as Thursday’s opener was pushed back due to rain. This will also be the second outing in a four-game weekend series between these American League East teams. New York and Baltimore are separated by just two games in the standings right now. Check back all season long for free MLB picks and MLB predictions at Sports Chat Place.
The Orioles have had a better season in 2020 than some predicted, and it’s thanks to a few key bats. Anthony Santander leads the team with 11 home runs and 32 RBI alongside a triple, 13 doubles, 40 hits, 24 runs and a .261 batting average. Renato Nunez is hitting .252 but also has 10 homers, 24 RBI, eight doubles, 39 hits and 25 runs so far this year.
For the Friday starting pitcher role, the Orioles will send Keegan Akin to the mound. In four games (two starts) without a decision this season, Akin has a 2.08 ERA and 15 strikeouts in 13.0 innings of work. This is the 25-year-old Akin’s first season of MLB action.
Over on the Yankees’ side, thanks to all the injuries they’ve had there isn’t much to get excited about offensively these days. DJ LeMahieu is still reliable with a .355 BA and 44 hits, and Luke Voit has done well on 14 homers, 30 RBI and a .271 BA, but guys like Gary Sanchez (.121 BA) are really struggling this year.
In the starter job on Friday, the Yankees will roll with veteran right-hander Masahiro Tanaka. This season over seven starts, Tanaka is 1-2 with a 3.38 ERA and 29 Ks in 32.0 innings of work. On his career, Tanaka is 76-45 with a 3.74 ERA and 976 Ks in 1038.1 innings.
The Orioles are 125-264 in the last 389 overall and 106-227 in their last 333 games as an underdog. Baltimore is 16-35 in their last 51 Friday games and 60-136 in the last 196 road games.
Meanwhile, the Yankees are 61-20 in their last 81 games as a home favorite and 68-26 in their last 94 home games. New York is 1-4 in their last five games as a favorite and 1-5 in their last six games overall.
Pick: I’m hesitantly siding with the Yankees here, but I don’t like New York much right now. This will be Tanaka’s eighth start of the year and his third on four days’ rest. He gave up four runs (two earned) in his last outing versus the O’s on Sunday, going 5.1 innings in a loss. Tanaka should be good for a quality start here, but given the Yankees’ bullpen and offense issues this season that may or may not be good enough. A New York win is probably still more likely here, but you wouldn’t be crazy to take Baltimore on a value play.
