It’s been a fast start for the Yankees, currently atop the AL East with a 7-2 record. New York’s pitching has led the way, ranking second in baseball with a 2.35 team ERA. It’s a different story for the Athletics, currently 3-6. The A’s, despite a powerful lineup, have been giving up runs left and right. Can they earn a massive upset tonight in the Bronx?
The Yankees are favorites (-252) over the Athletics, with the over/under set at eight runs. Below, I’ve laid out my preview, prediction, and best bet for Tuesday’s showdown between the A’s and New York on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Athletics vs. Yankees prediction, preview
After losing their first two series, the A’s took two of three from the Astros last weekend. That was highlighted by a 12-10 slugfest on Sunday in Sacramento. There’s no question this group can slug; five different members of this roster clubbed at least 20 home runs last season. That includes reigning AL Rookie of the Year Nick Kurtz. The first baseman has started 2026 off a bit slow, batting .148 with zero homers. Fortunately, teammate Shea Langeliers has picked up the slack. The catcher leads all of baseball with five dingers through nine games played.
The Athletics, while stellar on offense, aren’t as dangerous away from hitter-friendly Sutter Health Park. The team averaged 4.51 runs per game on the road last season, 14th-best in baseball. To make matters worse, pitching has been even worse than expected. Other than Jeffrey Springs, nobody on this pitching staff has impressed. Tuesday’s starter, Aaron Civale, was decent during his season debut in Atlanta (5.0 IP, 2 ER). However, facing off with New York’s lineup presents an even stiffer challenge.
Civale doesn’t offer much in terms of strikeouts. During his eight-year pro career, he owns a middling 8.1 K/9 ratio. Instead of whiffs, the veteran garners most of his outs via fly balls. Thats not exactly ideal against a Yankees lineup that led all of baseball with 274 home runs last season. Aaron Judge, as always, is the headliner in this one; he owns a career .906 OPS against Civale. Fellow slugger Giancarlo Stanton also has two homers in seven career at-bats against the right-hander. Civale has coughed up 20 earned runs over his last 16.2 innings pitched against New York (11.1 ERA).
As if that wasn’t bad enough, a normally formidable A’s offense could find runs harder to come by than usual. Budding superstar Cam Schlittler will be toeing the slab for the Yankees. After last season’s postseason heroics, the 25-year-old has continued to dominate in 2026. Over his first two starts, Schlittler has given up three hits, zero walks and zero earned runs while striking out 15. It’s no exaggeration to say that the youngster already looks the part of an ace. In 2025, the A’s posted a .305 xOBP against fastballs or cutters of at least 95 MPH. New York’s fireballer has thrown one of those two pitches on 63% of his offerings so far.
Athletics vs. Yankees pick, best bet
It’s bad enough that the Athletics are sending out a fly ball pitcher at Yankee Stadium. Going up against an All-Star caliber arm in Schlittler makes tonight’s contest even more difficult. It’s not as if there are a ton of hot bats in this A’s lineup, other than Langeliers. In comparison, New York is stocked with threats to go deep, especially from the left-hand side. Sometimes, backing a heavy favorite just makes too much sense.
