New York Yankees vs. Houston Astros: Odds, Preview, & Prediction | Friday, June 24th

New York Yankees vs. Houston Astros Preview: Premier pitching matchup in the Bronx

Last night, the New York Yankees defeated the Houston Astros via a walk-off from MVP favorite Aaron Judge. The two teams will lock horns tonight in what should be another competitive game. Without further ado, let's get into this preview!

Below, you will find a brief preview of each team followed by a prediction for the game.

New York Yankees Preview:

"About last night..." - New York Yankees

The Yankees have been the best and most consistent team in the MLB so far this season. Sitting at 52-18, the Yankees have built up a massive 12.5-game lead in the American League East. The most impressive thing about the Yankees so far has been the pitching. The pitching staff ranks second in the MLB with an ERA of 2.94. The bullpen has performed just as well.

The offense has been good, but they rely on home runs and extra base hits to do damage. The Yankees have hit an MLB-leading 117 home runs so far, which is 11 more than the closest team. Since they play in such a hitter-friendly ballpark, this comes as no surprise.

Luis Severino will get the start for the Yankees, and he has been very good this year. In 12 starts, Severino has a 4-1 record with an ERA of 3.27. He has struck out eight or more batters in each of his last four starts, and will look to continue that streak tonight. The key to victory for the Yankees is to get a quality start out of Severino and let the back end of the bullpen slam the door.

Houston Astros Preview:

"LET'S TUCKING GO." - Houston Astros

The story for the Houston Astros this season has been stellar pitching. The pitching staff ranks third in the league, just behind the Yankees in team ERA. Veteran Justin Verlander will get the start for Houston, and he has been as amazing this season as he usually is. So far, he has an 8-2 record with an ERA of 2.30.

Led by Jose Altuve, Michael Brantley, and Yordan Alvarez, the Houston offense hasn't been as good as it has been over the past few years. The Astros rank just 18th in the MLB in team batting average, which is far below what they are used to. They will look to their stars to produce runs for them in this game.

The clear key to victory for the Astros is to keep the ball in the ball park. If the Yankees continue to blast home runs off Verlander, then the Astros will be in for a long night.

Pick/Prediction: New York Yankees ML (-130)

Just read the lines on this pick. When Verlander pitches for Houston, they are almost always favored by a good margin. Placing the Yankees at -130 is eye-opening. The books may be telling us they expect the Yankees to take another game from Houston tonight. Love the value. We're going with the Yanks to win this ball game.