Article courtesy OddsShark (@OddsShark)
The New York Yankees (83-46) headed into Oakland on Tuesday with the best record in baseball, but suffered a three-game sweep to put them behind the Los Angeles Dodgers (85-44) going into a marquee series at Dodger Stadium that starts Friday.
The Dodgers are solid -150 home favorites (bet $150 to win $100) on the MLB odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com in the opener of a three-game set versus the Yankees.
Yankees at Dodgers | OddsShark Matchup Report
Los Angeles completed a three-game sweep of the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday with a 3-2 walk-off victory after trailing 2-0 in the bottom of the ninth inning. The Dodgers were 4-10 in their previous 14 games against American League opponents going into that series with the Blue Jays, according to the OddsShark MLB Database. The stretch dated back to last year’s World Series matchup with the Boston Red Sox.
Meanwhile, New York has now lost four straight games and five of seven since winning five in a row and 14 of 16 to claim the top spot in the AL. The Yankees were outscored 17-9 by the A’s and got a taste of what a potential playoff series might look like against them come October. Their starting pitching struggled, and the offense fizzled as well.
New York will give the ball to James Paxton (9-6. 4.53 ERA) in the opener in hopes that he can earn a fifth consecutive victory. The Yankees are listed as +130 road underdogs (bet $100 to win $130) at online betting sites with Paxton on the hill, and two of his last four wins have come versus the lowly Baltimore Orioles. He has struggled on the road this season with a 4-3 mark and 5.21 ERA in nine starts, with opposing batters hitting .312 against him.
Los Angeles will counter with Hyun-Jin Ryu (12-3, 1.64 ERA), who is coming off his first loss since June 28. Ryu gave up four runs and six hits – including two home runs – to the Atlanta Braves in a 4-3 loss last Saturday, walking one and striking out five to see his six-game unbeaten streak end. He is a perfect 9-0 at home with a stellar 0.81 ERA.
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