The Yankees took out the Giants in convincing fashion on Opening Day behind an inspired performance from Gerrit Cole. Saturday wasn’t quite the same, with New York’s offense producing, but its pitching lagging behind. Now it will be up to Jhony Brito to get the Yankees a series win on opening weekend.
Without further ado, let’s break down Giants vs. Yankees in our MLB picks and predictions for Sunday, April 2.
Giants vs Yankees odds
Giants vs Yankees predictions
We have seen both offenses absolutely fly at different points of this series, with the Giants breaking through for seven runs yesterday, and the Yankees posting five or more in each of their first two games. With that being said, I think we’ll see a low-scoring affair on Sunday.
The Yankees, for the last few years, have been arguably the best team in baseball when it comes to walking and slugging. Ross Stripling, who gets the ball for the Giants on Sunday, doesn’t allow opposing teams to do too much of that.
Stripling allowed just 12 home runs last season with the Blue Jays, and has an excellent 5.7% walk rate for his career, which is well below the league average. Last season, he ranked in the Top 2% of all pitchers in limiting free passes.
This Yankees offense may struggle a bit against a pitcher who’s clearly figured something out, and heads to a Giants team which is known as a pitching factory. I expect a good start from him and his counterpart, Jhony Brito, who is making his major-league debut.
Brito was excellent in Spring Training, authoring a 2.08 ERA and a 0.92 WHIP over 13 innings. He pitched at two levels in the minor leagues last season and handled them exceptionally, going 11-4 with a 2.96 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP over 112 2/3 innings.
My best bet: Under 8.5 (-110 at BetMGM)
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Giants vs Yankees moneyline analysis
I love taking the Yankees on the moneyline here as well, as I don’t think there’s enough love being shown to Brito.
He has not only been brilliant at every level so far, but he is actually a big reverse-splits guy, allowing lefties to hit just .176 last year at the minor-league level. The Giants have an overload of lefties in their lineup from LaMonte Wade Jr. to Joc Pederson. It’s likely we could see six left-handed bats start for San Francisco in this spot, which would suit Brito just fine.
While I admittedly don’t love the Yankees’ order after the first few, I will say they’re much better set up for success here against Stripling, who normally does a good job of not letting games get out of control, but who also normally coughs up one or two runs. New York’s my choice at a fair price.
Giants vs Yankees Over/Under analysis
If you’re fearful of fading the Yankees’ offense a bit with this bet, I’d remind you that guys like Oswaldo Cabrera, Jose Trevino, Josh Donaldson, and Anthony Volpe (at least for now) are unlikely to do significant damage to you here.
It’s still early in the season for the Giants, but as I touched on above, they should really struggle with all the lefties they have in their lineup against a guy who has been a killer against left-handers. On top of that, while I do like the Giants a little more than most this season, it’s clear they’re capped a bit offensively.
Trend bettors should note that the Under is 8-3 in the Giants’ last 11 road games vs. a right-handed starter, and 6-2 in their last eight during Game 3 of a series. The Under is 10-3 in the Yankees’ last 13 overall, and 12-2 in their last 14 games when their opponent scores five or more runs in their previous affair.
Giants vs Yankees game info
| Location: | Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY |
| Date: | Sunday, April 2, 2023 |
| First pitch: | 1:35 p.m. ET |
| TV: | NBCS-Bay Area, YES |
Giants vs Yankees betting preview
Starting pitchers
Ross Stripling (0-0, 0.00 ERA): Ross Stripling is now 33, but may be doing the best work of his career. Stripling’s 3.02 ERA was a welcomed return to the efficiency we were accustomed to seeing out of him in 2018. Though he doesn’t strike a ton of guys out, Stripling boasted an excellent 3.7% walk rate last season.
Jhony Brito (0-0, 0.00 ERA): Jhony Brito posted a sparkling 2.36 ERA in Double-A last year before his promotion to Triple-A, when he turned in a 3.31 ERA in 18 appearances. His spring couldn’t have been much better, seeing Brito register a 2.08 ERA in 13 innings.
Latest injuries
Trend to know
The Under is 10-1 in the last 11 meetings in New York between these two teams. Find more MLB betting trends for Giants vs. Yankees
