The Houston Astros were one of the biggest surprises of the 2015 season, compiling an 86-76 regular season record to advance to the playoffs as a Wild Card. The Astros continue their season-opening series against the New York Yankees this Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium.
Astros vs. Yankees 2016 odds: Houston betting underdog at New York on Wednesday
The Houston Astros send Colin McHugh to the mound on Wednesday night as they take on the New York Yankees as road betting underdogs.
Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Houston is a +120 betting underdog for Wednesday's road game at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. Collin McHugh will take the mound for the Astros against Michael Pineda and the Yankees (-130).
After winning only 70 games in 2014, the Astros took a major step forward in their rebuild process in 2015 with an 86-win season and a playoff berth. Houston ranked sixth in the majors in both runs scored with 4.5 runs per game and in Team ERA allowing only 3.57 runs per game, winning games with both its offense and its pitching depending on the circumstances.
Staff ace Dallas Keuchel had a strong performance in Tuesday's season opener, allowing two runs over seven innings as the Astros beat the Yankees 5-3.
Tuesday’s win brought the Astros’ record against the Yankees in their last six meetings to 5-1 per the OddsShark MLB Database. Houston is 2-0 in the last two matchups between Collin McHugh and Michael Pineda.
No longer the perennial World Series contender that they once were, the New York Yankees enter the 2016 season as a dark horse in the AL East behind the Toronto Blue Jays and the Boston Red Sox.
Fueled by the surprising resurgence of Alex Rodriguez, the Yankees had the second best offense in baseball last season averaging 4.7 runs per game. The offense should once again be strong in 2016, but for the Yankees to make a playoff push, they will need their thin pitching staff to stay healthy and perform well.
Wednesday’s total is set at seven runs. The OVER is 3-0 in the last three regular season games between the Astros and Yankees.
The second game in this series should be a great matchup between two strong young pitchers in McHugh and Pineda. The series wraps up on Thursday afternoon with a projected matchup between Nathan Eovaldi and Mike Fiers.
