StatFox.com - Sports Handicapping Community

The Leader In Sports Handicapping

Rangers visit Yankees Monday night
By: Freddy Wander - StatFox
Published: 7/21/2014  at  4:15:00 AM
  Print This Article    

TEXAS RANGERS (39-59)

at NEW YORK YANKEES (50-47)

First pitch: Monday, 7:05 p.m. ET
Line: New York -165, Texas +155, Total: 9

The Yankees look to continue their hot play at the start of the second half when they begin a series against the Rangers in the Bronx.

The Rangers have been riddled with injuries and their high expectations for the 2014 season have crumbled, as they sit 22 games out of the AL West lead and lost their first series of the second half against the Blue Jays. After taking Friday’s contest, they were outscored 13-7 over the final two games and saw their pitching staff’s ERA rise to 4.90; the second-worst mark in the league. 3B Adrian Beltre (.330 BA) has continued to rake for the team, but is a woeful 4-for-22 (.182) with a homer and 2 RBI over his past six games played. New York was an even 47-47 before the All-Star break, but came out in the second half strong with a sweep of Cincinnati, moving the Yankees three games behind Baltimore for the first position in the AL East. Their pitching excelled in the series, allowing only six runs over the three contests, as they earned an interesting walk-off win on Sunday afternoon. Brian McCann was the hero with a pop-fly that scored the winning run in the bottom of the ninth. OF Jacoby Ellsbury was also 4-for-4 in the win and is 14-for-38 (.368) with three doubles, two home runs, 5 RBI, five runs and five stolen bases over his past nine games. Two virtually unknown starters will be going in this one, as 25-year-old RHP Miles Mikolas (0-2, 10.05 ERA) of the Rangers faces 25-year-old RHP Shane Greene (2-0, 1.32 ERA) from the Bombers. Texas has the worst road record in all of baseball (18-30), but could have a nice opportunity against the Yanks as the club is just 21-23 as the home team. These two teams have matched up nicely over the past three seasons, splitting 14 games against each other (7-7), while New York holds a slight 4-3 edge at home in that time. The Yankees have not done well at night this year and hold a meager 10-16 (.385) record when playing under the lights at home, while Texas is a poor 2-13 (.133) in July thus far. The Rangers injuries are seemingly never-ending with 1B Prince Fielder (neck), OF Alex Rios (ankle), 2B Jurickson Profar (shoulder), 1B Mitch Moreland (ankle) and 3B Kevin Kouzmanoff (back) all missing from the offense. The Yanks offense is fully intact while they are missing 80% of their Opening Day rotation (Sabathia, Tanaka, Nova, Pineda).

Miles Mikolas has made his way to the big leagues mainly because of the multitude of injuries to the pitching staff. The former seventh-round pick was doing well at Triple-A this season (5-1, 3.22 ERA), but has not seen that translate to the major-league level, as he has allowed 17 runs (16 ER) in his first three starts. In the minors this year, he did not blow any batters away, striking out 7.7 batters per nine innings, but had amazing control (0.60 BB/9) and allowed just three homers in 44.2 innings of work (0.60 HR/9). His last outing came against the Angels where he earned his second consecutive loss after going 5.2 innings while giving up five runs (4 ER) on nine hits with three strikeouts (1 walk). Mikolas has not faced this Yankees team before, but will need to be careful when going against OF Jacoby Ellsbury who leads the team in hits (106) and doubles (21) while ranking fourth in the league with 27 stolen bases. On the other hand, SS Derek Jeter (.274) has seen his power virtually disappear in his final season with a career-low isolated power of .049 (.138 league average) and just two home runs. The Rangers’ bullpen has gone 14-17 with a 4.54 ERA while saving 17-of-27 (63%) games this year. Closer Joakim Soria (2.59 ERA, 16 saves) has been a bright spot for Texas this year with just one blown save while striking out a career-high 12.1 batters per nine innings.

Shane Greene was never a big prospect in the Yankees’ system, but he made his way to the rotation due to injuries, and has a chance to stay as long as he continues to perform. In his first two career starts, Greene has earned a win each time while allowing just two runs over 13.1 frames with 11 strikeouts. His last outing against the Orioles was amazing, as he got through 7.1 scoreless frames while giving up just four hits and striking out nine (2 walks). Greene features a strong sinker that has averaged a speed of 93.9 mph, which has led to batters hitting the ball on the ground 63.9% of the time. With just two starts under his belt, the youngster has not gone up against the Rangers before, but will likely need to work hard to get 3B Adrian Beltre out, as he has had 28+ homers and 82+ RBI in each of the past four seasons while leading the team in all the major offensive categories this year. Meanwhile, big offseason signing OF Shin-Soo Choo (.236 BA) was supposed to give the team a dynamic outfielder, but has gone hitless in his past six games played (0-for-17) while stealing just three bases on the year. New York’s relievers have combined to go 12-17 with a 3.81 ERA this season while successfully converting 34-of-44 (73%) save opportunities. Closer David Robertson (2.60 ERA, 24 saves) earned a win on Sunday afternoon and has been amazing with a career-high 15.6 K/9.


FoxSheets.com
The FoxSheets - the most advanced sports handicapping information available on the internet.
Sign up for professional sports betting information including fantastic trends, and Free FoxSheets.
E-mail: