Kershaw And Severino Have Edge Over Hitters

Yankees vs. Dodgers, 10:10 ET

The Yankees have traveled across the country (they already were out here playing Seattle) and now take on the Dodgers in a three games set at home. Being that these two teams are in different leagues, and obviously different divisions, they don't see each other often. Two marquee teams for the league are coming together on a Friday night, what more can we ask for? How about a win and some money in our pockets?

The teams come in with virtually identical records. Each team is roughly 10 games over .500 this season. The Yankees started out pretty rough and I was actually getting a bit concerned because it didn't seem like their hitting was holding up their end of the bargain. Their lineup is stacked though so it is hard for me to believe that it wasn't going to work out eventually. The pitching staff was always going to be a cause for concern in my eyes, but they've pitched very well. The Dodgers are another team that was off to a slow start, but they also look like they've found their groove. Like the Yankees, they were able to finally start hitting the ball. Once they did that, they were able to distance themselves from the middle of the pack. Their pitching staff hasn't been quite as good as they were last season, but they are solid enough and I expect them to turn it around soon as well.

The Yankees are bringing in Luis Severino to pitch against the Dodgers. He's only making his third start of the season, and he has thrown just 11.1 innings. He only allowed one earned run in each of the starts. The Yankees were able to win both of his starts and if he can pitch like this continuously, the Yankees are going to be very tough to beat. Because of their time with the Red Sox, Mookie Betts and JD Martinez are the only two hitters on the team with any real experience or success against him. Clayton Kershaw takes the ball for the Dodgers in this game. He had a pretty solid April with six starts and just eight earned runs allowed over 38 innings. May was a bit worse for Kershaw. He has allowed four earned runs in three of the five starts, and has only gone five or more innings twice. He could use a good start to turn it back to his performance in April.

Kershaw isn't a guy I like to fade much, but I do think the Yankees have a good chance to win this game. I'm not going to back them. I will instead back the under 8.5 for the game. I wouldn't be surprised if both pitchers have the edge in this game. Maybe the Yankees moneyline is worth a sprinkle.

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