Yankees vs Tigers: Sunday Night Baseball Predictions & Best Bets (8/18)

Sunday Night Baseball is upon us once again and we are in for a treat as the Detroit Tigers host the New York Yankees in the Little League Classic in Williamsport, PA. The nationally televised game will feature two exciting pitchers as Marcus Stroman faces off against Tarik Skubal. Both studs take the mounds for their teams after winning their last outing, and each team has taken turns shutting out the other this series.

This is the final game of this 3 game series and the 6th total between these teams. Although the Tigers won 4-0 last night, they had lost the previous 4 games to the Yankees, including being shutout 3-0 at home to start this series. However tonight they do have Skubal backing them, which should certainly play in their favor. As for the Yankees, Stroman does have an ERA north of 4.00, but he actually pitches much better on the road.

We will get into that in a second, but first let’s check out the matchup information and betting odds as we find our best bets!

New York Yankees vs Detroit Tigers: Sunday Night Baseball

Game Information – Yankees vs Tigers

• Venue & Location: Historic Bowman Field (Williamsport, PA)
• Date: Sunday, August 18th, 2024
• First Pitch: 7:00pm Eastern
• Broadcast: ESPN

Yankees vs Tigers Starting Pitchers

• New York Yankees: Marcus Stroman (8-6, 4.01 ERA, 1.40 WHIP)
• Detroit Tigers: Tarik Skubal (14-4, 2.53 ERA, 0.92 WHIP)

Betting Odds

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Run Line

• Yankees +1.5 (-197)
• Tigers -1.5 (+172)

Money Line

• Yankees +106
• Tigers -116

Total

• Over 8 (-110)
• Under 8 (-110)

Can Skubal Shove Against the Yankees?

Despite the Tigers being terrible, whenever Skubal is on the mound, they have a shot. He’s won 14 games this year and his splits are virtually unchanged, he dominates wherever he pitches. He is coming off two straight wins, and has actually won 4/5 starts since the All Star Break. He’s had 8+ strikeouts in 4 straight outings, and has allowed 2 runs or less in 4 of his L5 as well. The Yankees will certainly be a tough opponent, but they struggle to hit lefties.

While the Yankees hit .252 as a team and .264 in August, they hit just .233 against LHP, and they face one of the best in the league tonight. After this game, New York heads home for a couple series at Yankee Stadium. They have had success on this road trip, but after getting shutout last night, I’m sure they are ready to pack it up and get home. Skubal faced the Yankees once this season in New York. He lasted 6 innings, allowing just 2 runs on 6 hits while striking out 12 batters. He didn’t walk anyone and walked away with a no decision but the Tigers lost 5-2. Skubal is 6-1 in his L9 starts, while Detroit is 6-3 in those matchups. Tonight I could see them getting the better of New York, at least on the mound. At the plate, not so much.

Stroman hasn’t been phenomenal this season, and although this isn’t a true road game, his away splits are very solid. Stroman’s ERA drops over a run to 2.83 on the road, but his WHIP increases slightly. His win in his last start was his first since June 22nd, and he has already pitched well against Detroit. Against Detroit in May, Stroman pitched 5.1 innings, allowing just 1 run on 3 hits and 5 walks. He only struck out 3 batters at Yankee Stadium, and with a total at 8, I could see both guys shoving.

Just 6 hitters combined have at least an above average rating against the opposing pitcher today according to batters-box.com (Do NOT Forget the Hyphen). Aaron Judge is the only Elite Hitter, Kerry Carpenter is the only Great Hitter, and just 2 others from each team have an above average rating. This should translate to minimal contact and possible a nationally televised pitching duel in the Little League Classic. While I don’t think the Tigers win this game, I do think Skubal puts them in a position to possible pull off the win.

New York Yankees vs Detroit Tigers Best Bets

Yankees vs Tigers Prediction: Yankees Win

Best Bet: NYY/DET F5 Under 4 (-102) BetOnline

While I’m not betting on a side in this game, I would never have the Tigers favored in this spot. Yes, Skubal is on the mound and there’s more than a chance that he pitches well. However, it’s not a home game anymore, and it’s the Yankees. Both games of this series have only seen 3 and 4 total runs in the entire game, and this F5 would’ve been 1-0-1, pushing last night. But with Stroman and Skubal, I see the hitters struggling early.

This F5 is actually 3-1-1 in all 5 games between these teams this season, and we’ve never had a team score more than 5 in a single game. Although the “juiced balls” on SNB narrative scares me a bit, especially it being the Little League Classic, I trust these pitchers a lot. Much more than I do the Tigers hitters to contribute to this total. Give me a F5 Under sweat!

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