The New York Yankees will look to snap their four-game skid and prevent a sweep at the hands of the Atlanta Braves. Will the Bronx Bombers salvage a win in this series? Or will the Braves find a use for their brooms this Thursday?
Catch this game live on Thursday, August 17, 2023 at 7:20, Manila time
Away: New York Yankees (60-60/25-31 Away)
Starting Pitcher: Randy Vasquez (2-1, 1.89 ERA)
The Yankees are sinking lower and lower. New York manager Aaron Boone is sounding like a broken record of late, as he tries to make sense of his team’s struggles. On the verge of getting swept by the powerful Braves following a 5-0 loss to Atlanta Wednesday, the Yankees will get the ball in the hands of rookie Randy Vasquez. The 24-year-old righty has been showing a lot of promise this season.
He struggled a bit in his most recent start, allowing two earned runs on three hits in 3.2 innings of mound duty against the Miami Marlins on the road last Saturday but escaped with a win in a 9-4 victory, thanks to the Yankees’ offense. That kind of offense is what’s been missing for New York, as it scored no more than three runs in three of its last four outings. Third baseman DJ LeMahieu can be the x-factor this Thursday for the Yankees at the plate. He is on an 8-game hit streak and is also 10-for-28 (.357) in his career against Braves starter Charlie Morton.
Home: Atlanta Braves (76-42/38-20 Home)
Starting Pitcher: Charlie Morton (11-10, 3.71 ERA)
Based on their record, the Braves are the best team in baseball right now. They have won seven of their last nine games and outscored the Yankees so far in the series, 16-3. Atlanta is so good at the plate and on the mound. It has the favorite to win the National League Most Valuable Player award in Ronald Acuna and a bunch of quality hitters. As for their pitching, the Braves will have veteran righty Charlie Morton toeing the rubber this Thursday.
Morton picked up a win in his last start, as he tossed five scoreless innings with four strikeouts in a 7-0 win over the New York Mets in Queens over the weekend. Morton had trouble with his location against the Mets with seven free passes, thus raising his walk rate to 11.4% this year. That’s not a good sign for the Braves, considering that the Yankees’ offense is No. 1 in the big leagues this month with a 12.3 BB%. In any case, the Braves’ own offense is expected to have Morton’s back. The Braves have scored 116 runs in their last 15 games during which Atlanta slashed .313/.393/.554.
PREDICTIONS:
Spread: The Yankees cover (odds) the run line.
Over/Under: The total hits the (9.5) Over.
