Aaron Judge has gotten off to a historic start to the season. The Yankees star is leading the MLB in hits, batting average, total bases, OBP, slugging percentage, and trails only Shohei Ohtani and Cal Raleigh for the most home runs. Judge and Ohtani will face off once again tonight in the third matchup of this series between the Dodgers and Yankees.
The Dodgers have taken both games in the series thus far, including an 18-2 rout last night. New York will be looking to avoid the sweep tonight. The Dodgers enter as -175 favorites on the moneyline with the over/under set a 9 on DraftKings Sportsbook. New York holds +145 odds of pulling off the upset. Before the start of the Sunday night matchup, here’s my favorite Aaron Judge player prop bet.
Aaron Judge to record 2+ Total Bases (-115)
This has been one of the most dominant starts to an MLB season that we have ever seen. Saying he has been the best hitter in baseball feels as if we are underselling his production. The two-time MVP is slashing .398/.490/.778 with a ridiculous 1.268 OPS. Each of these numbers leads the league, and he has mashed 21 home runs already this year.
While it has been a frustrating series from the Yankees’ perspective, Judge has done his part. The six-time All-Star was responsible for both the Yankees’ runs yesterday, tallying three hits in his four at-bats. He also had a pair of hits in the opening game of the series.
It will be a tough matchup with Yoshinobu Yamamoto on the mound. The 26-year-old is off to a stellar start to the season, posting a 1.97 ERA with 75 strikeouts across his 64.0 innings pitched. He has not allowed any earned runs in five of his 11 starts.
While this is an intimidating matchup, Judge’s production should keep you confident. The Yankees slugger has one double and one walk across the three plate appearances he has tallied against Yamamoto in their careers. The Dodgers’ bullpen is also posting an uninspiring 3.99 collective ERA, which ranks 16th in the MLB.
Expect a better effort from New York tonight after a humbling past two games. Judge has continued to hold up his end of the bargain and is producing at too high a level not to continue backing him. While the -115 odds are not the craziest value, the MVP favorite has tallied two or more bases in back-to-back games and 12 of his past 20. Look for him to stay hot and add to his MLB best total bases by recording 2+ tonight.
