MLB: New York Yankees - Kansas City Royals

Andre | 22nd Jul. 2023 | Sport: Baseball

Sports betting tips: New York Yankees vs. Kansas City Royals
I suspect that even neutral punters with no knowledge of baseball are familiar with the New York Yankees. The team from New York's Bronx has been at the top of the game for decades and everyone has seen the caps with the famous NY logo. Unfortunately, the Yankees are not doing so well this season, mainly due to injuries. The most serious injury is to Aaron Judge, who won the MVP award last year and set a new home run record. New York is not only a baseball town, but also a place where fans and the media can get nervous, so the Yankees are always under pressure to succeed. Speaking of the Yankees, they still maintain some old traditions, such as the requirement that all players and staff must have short haircuts.

The Yankees send in Gerrit Cole
Today I would like to recommend a different kind of bet, a player's bet. Baseball is a game of statistics and there is a wide range of sports betting available. Today's bet focuses on Gerrit Cole, the New York Yankees' best pitcher and one of the best in the entire MLB. Cole earns around $36 million a year and has to perform accordingly. This year he has an ERA of 2.78 and a WHIP of 1.09, both of which are excellent. The ERA will be important later on when I get to the betting. New York has the advantage of playing in a more even division and still having a chance of making the playoffs. With 51 wins from 97 games, their record is not bad, but it is below expectations.

Kansas City Royals a grateful opponent
In contrast to their NFL counterparts, Kansas City's baseball record is not quite as rosy. With just 29 wins, they are the second-worst team in the MLB, with only the Oakland Athletics worse. Kansas is a rebuilding team with no stars on the roster and is unlikely to be able to compete with the Yankees, especially on the road. Nevertheless, I have decided against taking the handicap here, as I think the Yankees' offense is too inconsistent at the moment. You get a very good matchup with Gerrit Cole and that is what I am backing. Perhaps a little explanation on the pitchers: Every team has a starting pitcher rotation, which usually consists of 6-8 pitchers. The baseball teams have a game almost every day and the pitchers rotate from day to day. Therefore we only see each pitcher once every seven days or so. Stars like Cole tend to start in games that are popular on TV, such as weekend games.

My prediction for Yankees vs. Royals
Today I recommend you the following bet: Gerrit Cole under 2.5 earned runs. Earned Runs is the ERA I mentioned above. This bet wins if Cole allows a maximum of two runs. A starting pitcher usually throws around 100 pitches, unless he has massive problems and gives up a lot, which is usually between 6 and 7 innings. The pitcher gets a run if the opposing player reaches all three bases by hitting, walking or being hit by a pitch and finally reaches home plate and scores the run. In his last outing against the Colorado Rockies, Gerrit Cole allowed just one run and struck out 11. Cole also started in the American League All-Star Game, which is a great honour and speaks volumes about his quality. The Royals have one of the worst offenses in the league (average of .232 = 23.2% of players get on base), which puts them in 25th place out of 30. In summary, the factors for this tip are: Gerrit Cole in top form (All Star starter, only allowed one run in his last outing), Yankees playing at home and under pressure, Cole's start must be used, Kansas City with a weak offence.

Bet: Gerrit Cole under 2,5 Earned Runs

The best odds are with bet365: 1,65