The New York Yankees will host the Washington Nationals for a brief two game Interleague series beginning on Tuesday night. The games will be played at Yankee Stadium. Both the Nationals and the Yankees currently stand in first place in their respective divisions.
The Yankees have been a top team in baseball all season long, but the Nationals have just recently started to play winning baseball. Many people see this series as a potential World Series preview. It could also be Bryce Harper’s current team taking on Bryce Harper’s future team. The New York Yankees are -155 over the Nationals in game 1 of the series.
Yankees Offense Can Mash
The Yankees have slugged their way to the top of the American League East standings. The Yankees rank second in runs scored and feature a lineup full of great home run threats. Aaron Judge leads the Yankees attack and has hit 18 home runs so far in 2018. The Yankees have also gotten a boost from top prospect, Gleyber Torres, this season. Torres has hit 11 home runs in just 145 at bats in his first stint in the Major Leagues.
Veteran lefthander, CC Sabathia will start for the Yankees on Tuesday night. Sabathia is having another solid year for New York and sports a very solid 3.59 ERA. Sabathia has actually suffered from a lack of run support this season, and is just 3-1 on the season. Sabathia will keep the Yankees in almost every game, but he looks to get more run support against the Nationals.
Nationals Play Better on Road
The Washington Nationals have played under .500 baseball at home so far this season, but are tied for the league’s best road record. The Nationals are 21-11 away from the Nation’s capital this season, and their road play has gotten them back atop the National League East.
Bryce Harper leads the Nationals with 19 home runs and 43 runs batted in so far in 2018. The future free agent is making a case to be the highest paid player in history when he hits the free agent market this offseason. Perhaps, Harper will be auditioning for his future team and their fans this week in Yankee stadium. Look for the young phenom to have a terrific two games.
Yankees, Sabathia Get the Win
The Nationals have taken back first place in the National League East, but they still aren’t playing a high level of baseball. The Nationals have yet to have a deep run of consistent baseball, in large part to their struggles at home. Washington has been great on the road in 2018, but taking on the Yankees in New York is a tall task.
The Yankees are in a dogfight with their nemesis, the Boston Red Sox, for the best record in baseball. New York is 23 games over the .500 mark, and continue to get the job done with a relentless offense. Look for Sabathia to give the Yankees another quality start on Tuesday, but this time he gets plenty of run support to secure the win. Bet the New York Yankees -155 over the Washington Nationals.