We love a good interleague battle, don’t we, folks? The New York Yankees and San Diego Padres agree. A stellar outing from Carlos Rodon, slightly interrupted by a rain delay, left the Yankees up 3-0 going into the eighth inning. Then the Yankee bullpen happened.
The former closer Devin Williams loaded the bases with two outs before handing things over to another closer, Luke Weaver. A double and a single handed the Padres the lead, and they never gave it back. Four scoreless innings from the bullpen locked things down for good.
Now the Padres head into tomorrow’s game looking to take the series behind ace Michael King. Will the Yankees get back on track, or will the NL West continue to roll over the rest of the league?
Padres vs. Yankees prediction, preview
The Yankees will have their hands full with Padres starter Michael King. He’s got an 88th percentile expected ERA on top of his 86th percentile strikeout rate. Once the centerpiece of the Juan Soto trade, King has blossomed into a Cy Young hopeful in a San Diego uniform.
Clarke Schmidt will be on the mound for the Yankees. After a promising half-season in the rotation last year, Schmidt is stumbling to a 5.52 ERA out of the gate. His underlying numbers are better than that, but he’ll need good results sooner than later.
So you’ve got an elite pitcher against an elite offense, and an okay pitcher against an okay offense. What does this add up to?
Padres vs. Yankees pick, best bets
I’m eyeing up that total line of 8.5. Yes, it’s Yankee Stadium, and the Bronx Bombers can clear that number by themselves on a good day. But both pitchers are in for a good outing. The total does scream under, but I also like the under 3.5 in the first five innings.
On top of that, the Padres can cover their -1.5 run line at +150. Though I think Schmidt is due for a good outing based on his underlying numbers, I don’t trust this Yankees bullpen as far as I can throw them. Monday’s meltdown only confirms my suspicions. The Friars should be able to pull out another low scoring victory in this one.