After an encouraging sweep of the Astros over the weekend, the New York Yankees (68-69) look to keep their youth movement rolling as they head back home to take on the Detroit Tigers (63-74) in a three-game set this week. First pitch of Tuesday’s opener from Yankee Stadium is set for 7:05 p.m. ET. Alex Faedo will get the ball for the visitors, while Yankees ace Gerrit Cole takes the mound looking to build on his AL Cy Young case.
New York enters as heavy -250 favorites on the moneyline at DraftKings Sportsbook, with Detroit at +205. The run total is set at 8.
Tigers-Yankees picks: Tuesday, September 5
Injury report
Tigers
Out: OF Riley Greene (elbow), RP Mason Englert (hip), RP Andrew Vazquez (calf)
Yankees
Out: 1B Anthony Rizzo (post-concussion symptoms), RP Ian Hamilton (groin), OF Billy McKinney (back), SP Nestor Cortes (rotator cuff)
Starting pitchers
Alex Faedo vs. Gerrit Cole
Faedo’s had a bumpy 2023 season, battling injuries and inconsistency while also flashing some of the potential that made him a first-round pick a few years ago. The righty posted a 3.54 ERA across four starts in August, allowing three runs on seven hits over just 4.2 innings in a loss to the Astros last week. He’d put together two solid starts prior to that, though, holding the Twins to one hit over five scoreless innings and then allowing four runs (two earned) on just three hits over six frames against the Cubs. Despite his less than compelling overall numbers, his expected ERA (3.99) is solid, and hitters are batting just .191 off his fastball and .209 (with a 40.4% whiff rate) off his slider.
Amid all sorts of chaos in New York, Cole just keeps on chugging, firing his MLB-leading 20th quality start while striking out seven and earning a win against these very same Tigers in his last start. Cole isn’t quite the overwhelming force he was during his Astros days — his fastball velocity and K rate remain noticeably down — but he’s still among the sturdiest pitchers in the game, with a full four-pitch mix that he can throw anywhere, in any count. He’s allowed more than three runs just five times in 28 starts, and it doesn’t seem likely he’ll make it six on Tuesday.
Over/Under pick
For all the good vibes surrounding New York’s sweep in Houston over the weekend, I’m still reluctant to believe that this lineup can consistently produce — especially against righties, against whom they have just a .655 OPS since August 1. Faedo has been sneakily pretty solid this year, and with Cole throwing up zeroes on the other side, I’m backing the under on Tuesday night.
Pick: Under 8
Moneyline pick
I was tempted to pull the trigger on Detroit here — this Yankees team doesn’t deserve to be this heavy of a favorite against really anyone, and they’ve shown themselves more than capable of blowing games even with Cole at his best — but in the end I don’t think the Tigers score enough to hang in the Bronx.
Pick: Yankees -250
