The Yankees are in a major scoring drought. They’ve lost five straight and haven’t scored in 29 consecutive innings.
The team has two more games against Los Angeles after dropping the first two. Ryan Yarbrough is set to start for New York against Jack Kochanowicz.
Even amid the struggles, the Yankees are still -227 favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Angels are +183 underdogs, and the game total is set at 9.5 runs.
Here’s my prediction and pick for Wednesday’s Yankees vs. Angels matchup.
Yankees vs. Angels prediction
New York’s slump extends beyond its five-game losing streak. The Yankees have scored just five runs in their past 54 innings and aren’t even getting consistent production from Aaron Judge.
It’s a rough time to be a Yankees fan, but not all hope is lost. They play the Angels two more times at home and will face Kochanowicz on Wednesday, June 18. Kochanowicz has a 5.53 ERA through 14 starts and 71.2 innings pitched. He also has just 50 strikeouts to 33 walks this season.
It’s a good opportunity for the Yankees to break their scoreless streak against a young, struggling pitcher. Meanwhile, the Angels will have to face Yarbrough, who has been a solid starter for New York. He has a 3.96 ERA through 15 games and 50 innings pitched.
Pitching has been fairly consistent for the Yankees, so it’s really just the offense that needs to show up to salvage this series.
Yankees vs. Angels pick, best bet
While the Yankees should end their scoreless streak against Kochanowicz, it’s still a large ask for them to surpass the 9.5 run total.
For the over to hit, Kochanowicz and/or Yarbrough would have to have bad outings. It seems unlikely that it gets that sloppy, especially with the way New York is hitting. The under is a far safer bet, especially at 9.5.