Yankees head south to take on Atlanta Braves
Yankees head south to take on Atlanta Braves
The Braves and Yankees each sit just four games out of first in their respective divisions as the two teams prepare to battle at Turner Field in Atlanta. The difference is New York is in second in the AL East and seven games above .500 while the Braves are fourth in the NL East, three games below even. Will the Yanks be at a disadvantage without being able to plug DH Hideki Matsui into their lineup in this interleague matchup?
The world needs more Hideki Matsui.
The New York Yankees certainly think so. But they can’t use their designated hitter during this week’s interleague series at Turner Field against the Atlanta Braves. In theory, manager Joe Girardi could put the 35-year-old slugger (.820 OPS) in the outfield, but he’s already told readers of the Yankees website that it’s not worth the risk to Matsui’s tender knees. He was reduced to pinch-hitting duty as New York lost two of three to the Florida Marlins in Miami.
Of course, the Braves pitchers will also be taking the plate in this series, but they can be expected to do a better job of handling the bat – taking more pitches, executing bunts and producing the occasional hit. Here are the career batting lines for all six projected starters.
Game 1 (Tuesday, 7:00 p.m. Eastern)
Chien-Ming Wang: 0-for-11, zero walks, zero RBI, eight Ks, zero sac bunts
Tommy Hanson: 1-for-5, zero walks, one RBI, three Ks, zero sac bunts
Game 2 (Wednesday, 7:00 p.m. ET, ESPN2)
Joba Chamberlain: 0-for-5, one walk, zero RBI, one K, three sac bunts
Kenshin Kawakami: 3-for-21, zero walks, zero RBI, eight K, two sac bunts
Game 3 (Thursday, 7:00 p.m. ET)
Andy Pettitte: 25-for-184 (.136), six walks, 13 RBIs, 59 Ks, 31 sac bunts
Derek Lowe: 38-for-296 (.128), 18 walks, 15 RBIs, 87 Ks, 39 sac bunts
Yankees supporters will be pleased that Pettitte is on tap for Game 3. Three years in the senior circuit with the Houston Astros helped develop Pettitte’s batting skills. He stroked an RBI double in the second inning of Friday’s 5-1 victory over the Marlins to help New York cash in as -122 road faves. That’s the only interleague road win for the Yankees in their last five attempts.
The Braves (33-36, minus-9.07 units), meanwhile, are 5-0 in their last five interleague games at Turner Field. They swept the Toronto Blue Jays in May; Lowe went 2-for-3 in Game 2 and drove in the go-ahead run in a 4-3 victory. The Braves don’t cash in at -139 without Lowe’s work at the plate. This is a real advantage for Atlanta in the first two games of the series.
The Yankees (38-31, minus-8.48 units) are still a dangerous hitting team. On the season, they’re first in the majors with an .822 OPS and fourth on the road with an .802 OPS – so it isn’t all because of the jet stream out to right at new Yankee Stadium. But something strange has happened to the most important bat in the lineup. Alex Rodriguez is 9-for-59 in June with a .603 OPS and will reportedly be given an extra day off every week this month to rest his surgically repaired hip. The under is on a 5-1 roll for the Yankees and is 18-8-2 since May 22.
Atlanta’s hitters are significantly less accomplished. They’re ranked No. 25 in the majors with a .716 team OPS, dipping to No. 27 at home with a puny .695 OPS. And those numbers are likely to get worse with shortstop Yunel Escobar (.787 OPS) missing Monday’s game against the Chicago Cubs with a strained right hip flexor. He’s listed as day-to-day. His replacement, rookie Diory Hernandez, owns a .314 OPS and is hitless in his last 14 at-bats. The under got paid in each of the Braves’ last four home games and is 8-3-1 in their last 12 at home against winning teams.
Tuesday’s betting odds had the Braves listed as –120 favorites with a total of 9.5 runs. Wang had his first decent outing of the season in his last start (three earned runs over five innings of work) but remains very much on thin ice with a 12.30 ERA and a team record of 1-5 (minus-5.84 units). Atlanta has won all three games with the 6-foot-6 rookie Hanson (4.08 ERA) on the hill.
The Braves and Yankees each sit just four games out of first in their respective divisions as the two teams prepare to battle at Turner Field in Atlanta. The difference is New York is in second in the AL East and seven games above .500 while the Braves are fourth in the NL East, three games below even. Will the Yanks be at a disadvantage without being able to plug DH Hideki Matsui into their lineup in this interleague matchup?
The world needs more Hideki Matsui.
The New York Yankees certainly think so. But they can’t use their designated hitter during this week’s interleague series at Turner Field against the Atlanta Braves. In theory, manager Joe Girardi could put the 35-year-old slugger (.820 OPS) in the outfield, but he’s already told readers of the Yankees website that it’s not worth the risk to Matsui’s tender knees. He was reduced to pinch-hitting duty as New York lost two of three to the Florida Marlins in Miami.
Of course, the Braves pitchers will also be taking the plate in this series, but they can be expected to do a better job of handling the bat – taking more pitches, executing bunts and producing the occasional hit. Here are the career batting lines for all six projected starters.
Game 1 (Tuesday, 7:00 p.m. Eastern)
Chien-Ming Wang: 0-for-11, zero walks, zero RBI, eight Ks, zero sac bunts
Tommy Hanson: 1-for-5, zero walks, one RBI, three Ks, zero sac bunts
Game 2 (Wednesday, 7:00 p.m. ET, ESPN2)
Joba Chamberlain: 0-for-5, one walk, zero RBI, one K, three sac bunts
Kenshin Kawakami: 3-for-21, zero walks, zero RBI, eight K, two sac bunts
Game 3 (Thursday, 7:00 p.m. ET)
Andy Pettitte: 25-for-184 (.136), six walks, 13 RBIs, 59 Ks, 31 sac bunts
Derek Lowe: 38-for-296 (.128), 18 walks, 15 RBIs, 87 Ks, 39 sac bunts
Yankees supporters will be pleased that Pettitte is on tap for Game 3. Three years in the senior circuit with the Houston Astros helped develop Pettitte’s batting skills. He stroked an RBI double in the second inning of Friday’s 5-1 victory over the Marlins to help New York cash in as -122 road faves. That’s the only interleague road win for the Yankees in their last five attempts.
The Braves (33-36, minus-9.07 units), meanwhile, are 5-0 in their last five interleague games at Turner Field. They swept the Toronto Blue Jays in May; Lowe went 2-for-3 in Game 2 and drove in the go-ahead run in a 4-3 victory. The Braves don’t cash in at -139 without Lowe’s work at the plate. This is a real advantage for Atlanta in the first two games of the series.
The Yankees (38-31, minus-8.48 units) are still a dangerous hitting team. On the season, they’re first in the majors with an .822 OPS and fourth on the road with an .802 OPS – so it isn’t all because of the jet stream out to right at new Yankee Stadium. But something strange has happened to the most important bat in the lineup. Alex Rodriguez is 9-for-59 in June with a .603 OPS and will reportedly be given an extra day off every week this month to rest his surgically repaired hip. The under is on a 5-1 roll for the Yankees and is 18-8-2 since May 22.
Atlanta’s hitters are significantly less accomplished. They’re ranked No. 25 in the majors with a .716 team OPS, dipping to No. 27 at home with a puny .695 OPS. And those numbers are likely to get worse with shortstop Yunel Escobar (.787 OPS) missing Monday’s game against the Chicago Cubs with a strained right hip flexor. He’s listed as day-to-day. His replacement, rookie Diory Hernandez, owns a .314 OPS and is hitless in his last 14 at-bats. The under got paid in each of the Braves’ last four home games and is 8-3-1 in their last 12 at home against winning teams.
Tuesday’s betting odds had the Braves listed as –120 favorites with a total of 9.5 runs. Wang had his first decent outing of the season in his last start (three earned runs over five innings of work) but remains very much on thin ice with a 12.30 ERA and a team record of 1-5 (minus-5.84 units). Atlanta has won all three games with the 6-foot-6 rookie Hanson (4.08 ERA) on the hill.
