It'll be ace vs. ace on Friday night as the New York Yankees begin their AL Division Series at home against the Detroit Tigers.
The Yankees will send lefthander CC Sabathia (19-8, 3.00 ERA) to the mound for Game 1 on Friday night, while the Tigers counter with righthander Justin Verlander (24-5, 2.40 ERA). [ See tons of Verlander vs Sabathia odds and more tonight ]
Verlander is a lock for the AL Cy Young award and possibly for league MVP as well. He has oonly been an underdog three times all season and once was on Sportsbook Day here against CC Sabathia - funny how things come full circle and now bettors can get baseball's best pitcher at +122 moneyline dog odds.
See all the latest MLB playoff odds here at Odds Shark.
View Detroit vs NY Yankees Odds and Stats.
Betting Line:
Sportsbooks had installed the Yankees as -122 moneyline favorites in this particular MLB matchup. The total, meanwhile, was set early at 7 before betting started to move the line.
Power Rankings:
The Yankees sit at No. 2 in the American League in the current MLB power poll here at Odds Shark, while the Tigers sit at an American League No. 6 on the same chart.
How They Match Up:
Scoring stats point to some edges in this matchup. The game features New York's American League No. 2-ranked scoring average of 5.4 runs per game, against a Tigers offense rated No. 4 and scoring 4.9 runs per game in the league. The Yankees have averaged 9 hits per game to date this season, less than the Tigers hitters have managed (9.5 per nine innings).
Pitching and defensive stats are important baseball handicapping factors and New York has the American League's No. 3-ranked defense. In the other dugout, the Tigers own the American League's No. 8 mark in runs allowed.
Detroit won its last outing, a 5-4 result against the Indians on September 28. Bettors who backed the Tigers at -182 on the moneyline won on the day, and the total score (9) sent UNDER bettors to the payout window. The Tigers enjoyed a 5-4 victory at the expense of the Indians on Wednesday, with Rick Porcello throwing 6 innings of 5-hit ball at Comerica Park.
The Yankees were an 8-7 loser in their most recent outing on the road against the Rays. That made Sportsbooks of bettors who got Tampa Bay at -230 on the moneyline, while the total score (15) was good news for OVER bettors. New York lost in extra innings against the Rays on Wednesday as Tampa Bay edged them 8-7 at Tropicana Field.
Detroit Tigers Trends:
When playing on Friday are 7-3
Before playing NY Yankees are 4-6
After playing Cleveland are 10-0
After a win are 5-5
New York Yankees Trends:
When playing on Friday are 8-2
Before playing Detroit are 6-4
After playing Tampa Bay are 6-4
After a loss are 4-6
A few Tigers at Yankees trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Detroit's last 5 games when playing on the road against NY Yankees
Detroit is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Detroit's last 5 games
Detroit is 4-1 SU in their last 5 games when playing NY Yankees
The total has gone OVER in 5 of NY Yankees' last 5 games when playing at home against Detroit
NY Yankees are 5-1 SU in their last 6 games when playing at home against Detroit
NY Yankees are 12-3 SU in their last 15 games at home
NY Yankees are 1-4 SU in their last 5 games
Next up:
Detroit at NY Yankees, Saturday, October 1
