GAME:  #901 Yankees @ #902 Nationals
DATE:    7/23/2020 – 7:08p EST
ODDS:   Yankees -127 / Nationals +117
O/U:       7.5

For the first game of the MLB season, the New York Yankees(0-0) head to Nationals Park to face the 2019 World Series Champs, the Washington Nationals(0-0), only 267 days after their big win. The Yankees have Gerrit Cole(R) taking the mound while Max Scherzer(R) will take the bump for the Nationals for both teams’ first game of the season.  These teams have not met since 2018 where they split the 4 game inter-league series winning 2 games each.

WEATHER (baseball-weather.com)

NEW YORK YANKEES

Gerrit Cole had an ERA of 2.50 last season with a W/L record of 20-5. Cole’s last time out was against the Nationals and it was a win for Houston by a score of  7-1. Cole has had difficulty in the past with Trae Turner and newcomer Starlin Castro however he handles the rest of the Nationals pretty well. You can expect the Yankees offense to be up to its usual home-run hitting ways. Stanton has 2 home runs off Scherzer and will be looking to add to that tally.  This Yankees team was not healthy most of the previous season but they are mostly healthy right now. Look out for the Yankees bats to get hot this season.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS

Max Scherzer had an ERA of 2.92 last season with a W/L record of 11-7. Scherzer’s last time out was a 6-2 win for the Nationals to win the World Series. Scherzer has given a few of the Bronx bombers difficulty in the past but he will have a whole lineup of hitters to deal with. Trae Turner has a .400 lifetime average while Starlin Castro carries a .353 but also strikes out a lot against Gerrit Cole. 

BATTER VS PITCHER (dailybaseballdata.com)

INJURY REPORT(covers.com)

TRENDS(covers.com)YANKEES

• Yankees are 0-4 in their last 4 inter-league road games vs. a right-handed starter.
• Under is 6-1 in the Yankees last 7 inter-league road games.
• Under is 15-3 in Yankees last 18 inter-league road games vs. a right-handed starter.
• Under is 4-1 in the Yankees last 5 games vs. a starter with a WHIP less than 1.15.

NATIONALS

• Over is 3-0-1 in Nationals last 4 overall.
• Over is 5-0-1 in Scherzer’s last 6 starts as an underdog.
• Over is 3-0-1 in Nationals last 4 games vs. a right-handed starter.

HEAD TO HEAD

• Under is 4-0 in the last 4 meetings.
• Under is 4-1 in the last 5 meetings in Washington.

YANKEES vs NATIONALS PREDICTION

Often the World Series champs will have a hangover season and without Rendon the Nats are not expected to be as good while the Yankees did what they do best and bought some more talent, picking up ace Gerrit Cole.  The Yankees have a lot of bats and the Nationals gave up one of their best bats in Rendon. The Yankees bullpen should be able to take care of business after their offense drives in some runs on Scherzer and the weak Nationals bullpen.  Another possibility, if the weather doesn’t hold up there is a good chance of an early exit for both pitchers, which means it will turn into a bullpen game. 

This is usually the spot to take the home team dog plus the money, but with it being the first game of the year, The Bookie expects the better team to win. Look for the Yankees to come out strong to get this short 60 game season started on the right track and get the job done against this year’s Nationals. The Bookie is taking the Yankees however if you were fading the public, it would put you on the Nationals since there are over 60% of the bets coming in on New York. Most of the Sharps are on the Nationals since it is a contrarian home dog and it is a play that typically has the most value however we are sticking with the better team in this opener, especially since home field advantage is not the same without fans this season.

The Bookie:        Yankees -127 (Listed Pitcher – Cole)
Fade the Public:  Nationals +117
Sharp Action:       Nationals +117 

1.27 Unit(s) to win 1 unit on:  (#901)New York Yankees -127 with Gerrit Cole as the Listed Pitcher.