Yankees vs. Angels, 06/22/17 – Preview & Prediction

Starting Pitchers: Jesse Chavez (R) 5-7, 4.85 ERA, 1.32 WHIP (LAA) v. Luis Severino (R) 5-2, 2.99 ERA, 1.05 WHIP (NYY)

Money Line:  NY Yankees -240/LA Angels +200

Over/Under: 9

The New York Yankees will play host to the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday night. The Yankees have had a terrific season thus far. They’re currently just half a game behind the Boston Red Sox with a 38-30 record. The Angels, on the other hand, are a distant second in the AL West. They’re 37-37, which puts them 12 games behind the division-leading Houston Astros. Will the Yankees build their lead in the AL East with a win over the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on Thursday?

Angels top the Yankees

The Halos came up with an 8-3 win in game one of this series. They were fantastic at the plate in the victory over the Yankees. The Angels finished the game with 14 hits. LA’s lineup hasn’t been great this season. In fact, they have the third-worst slugging percentage in the majors. The Halos have a measly .389 slugging percentage this year.

Jesse Chavez will start his 15th game of the season on Thursday night. Chavez has had a mediocre year thus far. The right-handed veteran had a nice outing in his last start against the Kansas City Royals. He allowed just 2 runs in 7 innings. However, the Angels lineup didn’t provide enough run support, so Chavez suffered his seventh loss of the season. He’ll try to bounce back as he takes on a dangerous Yankees lineup on Thursday.

Yanks continue to struggle

The New York Yankees lost their seventh consecutive game on Monday, falling 8-3 to the Angels in New York. The Yankees normally potent offense only had 4 hits in the loss. New York’s lineup has been among the best in the league in 2017. The Yankees have the fourth-highest batting average in Major League Baseball. They’re hitting .272, and they’ve already scored 386 runs this season.

Luis Severino will be toeing the rubber for the Yankees in this matchup with the Angels. Severino has been incredibly impressive this season. The 23-year-old hurler hasn’t suffered a loss in nearly 2 months, and he has won his last three decisions. Severino didn’t have a great outing in his last start against the A’s in Oakland. The right-hander gave up 4 hits and 4 runs in six innings against the Athletics. He also walked 4 batters in the no-decision. The Yankees are hoping that Severino can carry them to their first win in over a week in Thursday’s showdown with the Halos.

Trends

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are:

1-5 in their last 6 Thursday games.

The New York Yankees are:

4-1 in their last 5 home games vs. a team with a losing road record.

9-4 in their last 13 during game 3 of a series.

4-0 in Severino’s last 4 starts during game 3 of a series.

5-1 in Severino’s last 6 starts on grass.

4-1 in Severino’s last 5 starts with 5 days of rest.

5-2 in Severino’s last 7 home starts.

The Yankees are in a slump, but they’ve lost five games by two runs or fewer during their seven-game losing streak. Furthermore, four of those losses have been decided by just one run. Opposing batters are hitting just .204 against Severino at Yankee Stadium this season. Jesse Chavez has been terrible on the road this season. He has a 6.03 ERA in away games. Chavez has allowed 10 home runs in just seven starts on the road in 2017. I like the Yankees to break out of their slump with a big win over the Angels on Thursday.

Pick: New York Yankees*