This is the second game of a three-game series in New York between the Yankees and visiting Athletics.
JP Sears is scheduled to pitch for the Athletics while Clarke Schmidt should get the nod for New York.
Athletics at Yankees prediction, preview
JP Sears is average all around. The strikeout rate is 17.9%, swinging strike rate is 8.2% and chase rate is 25.5%. The 5.44 ERA is supported by the 5.3 FIP. The control has been good, 19 walks in 81 innings, but he’s served up 18 long balls.
Righties have feasted off him, slashing .272/.325/.513 with 16 of the 18 home runs. One solace, if there is any, is that he’s gotten pounded at home, but he’s in Yankees Stadium for this one against a lineup with some beastly right-handed power.
Sears has allowed over three earned runs five times. He had a three-game stretch in May when he got lit up for four, six and nine earned runs. Houston was the team that tagged him for nine earned runs, and it put up five against him two starts ago. This will be his first time facing the Yankees this season.
Against left-handed pitching, the Yankees have struck out at the 14th-highest rate while having the third-best ISO. The wOBA is best in MLB.
Clarke Schmidt had a 2.85 ERA in 85.1 innings last season. Through 69.2 innings this season, the ERA is 2.84. Last season, the FIP was higher at 3.58. It’s at 3.49 this season. There are some pitchers who just out-pitch their advanced stats. Shrug. While the BABIP is only .235 and the strand rate is 79.6%, the Statcast numbers are pretty good. The average exit velocity is 87.9 mph, barrel rate is 5.4% and the hard hit rate is 34.1%.
Five of the six home runs allowed have come off the bat of lefties. Schmidt has been park neutral, with a slight bias to being better at home.
Schmidt has allowed more than three earned runs only once this season, during his second start of the season. He has not allowed an earned run in his three most recent outings while pitching six, 7.2 and seven innings. This will be the first time facing the Athletics this season.
The Athletics have struck out at the 17th-highest rate against right-handed pitching while being ninth in ISO. The wOBA is 11th-best.
As for bullpens, the Athletics have the 27th-lowest FIP while New York has the 12th-lowest.
Athletics at Yankees, Best Bet
I like Schmidt to continue pitching well and shut down the Athletics offense, while I think Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Paul Goldschmidt have a field day.
