The New York Yankees are hanging on by a thread in the American League wild-card race, but each loss hurts, especially to their bitter rivals from Boston, who hold onto the precious playoff spot. The two combatants will face off for (presumably) the final time at Yankee Stadium on Thursday afternoon, and MLB betting trends say the Yankees are a good bet at home.
Jon Lester (12-5, 3.49) is coming off his worst outing of the season, as he was pounded for seven runs on eight hits in just 2 1/3 innings in a 11-0 loss in Toronto. The 24-year-old southpaw never had his good stuff from the beginning of the game, and it only got worse as he was taken deep for the fourth time in five starts. However, this does not mean that Lester is on the way down, and a game against the Yankees could be the thing to turn himself around. Lester has beaten the Yankees in both of their meetings in 2008, including a five-hit complete-game shutout in New York.
39-year-old Mike Mussina (16-7, 3.45) just keeps trucking along, and it is almost amazing that a pitcher who has averaged almost 15 wins a year over an 18-year career has never won the Cy Young award, but he should get some votes this season. Mussina earned a no-decision in a 9-4 win on the road against his former team, Baltimore, allowing four runs on nine hits over six innings. The 110 pitches he threw was his highest pitch-count in the past two months, but Mussina's experience kept him from making any crucial mistakes. “Moose” is 1-2 against the Red Sox this season with an ERA of 5.52.
The Red Sox won the opener of this series 7-3 on Tuesday behind a strong return to the rotation by Tim Wakefield, while New York's Alex Rodriguez was just awful on the night, going 0-for-5 and two double plays, including one with the bases loaded. The Yankees need a much better performance from their stars, and not just A-Rod. Mussina will keep them in it on Thursday, but the New York offense that was designed to lead the league has often come up short in the most crucial situations this season.
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