Los Angeles Angels at New York Yankees Game 1 Predictions, Odds, Best Bets

• Aces square off in series opener
• Can Angels get offense going again against Bronx bombers
• X-factors to watch

Angels at Yankees Game 1 Odds

Odds presented by: Draft Kings

Los Angeles at New York Prediction and Picks

The Angels have been slumping, losing six straight games before Thursday’s matchup with New York was rained out. The teams will play two on Thursday and both are sending their aces to the mound in Game 1. Shohei Ohtani hasn’t been as dominant as his MVP year from a season ago and the Yankees’ Nestor Cortes is a Cy Young front runner. Not to mention the Yankees have been the best team in baseball almost all season, so we will take the Yankees to cover the spread.

Yankees to Cover the Spread

• Angels are 11-3 in their last 14 during game 3 of a series
• Angels are 2-6 in their last 8 games vs. a right-handed starter
• Angels are 0-6 in their last 6 overall
• Angels are 0-6 in their last 6 vs. a team with a winning record
• Over is 4-0 in Angels last 4 road games
• Over is 4-1 in Angels last 5 vs. American League East
• Angels are 14-37 in the last 51 meetings in New York
• Yankees are 7-1 in their last 8 vs. American League West
• Yankees are 11-3 in their last 14 vs. a team with a winning record
• Yankees are 43-19 in their last 62 overall
• Yankees are 41-19 in their last 60 home games
• Over is 4-0 in Yankees last 4 Thursday games
• Under is 4-1 in Yankees last 5 overall
• Over is 5-2 in the last 7 head-to-head meetings

Garcia’s 2021 record: (17-12)

Two of the Best on the Mound

Ohtani is one of the most electric pitchers in the game and while the majority of his games have been great, two have been duds. The reigning AL MVP has made eight starts, six time giving up two runs or fewer with four quality starts in his last six outings.

But in the other two appearances, he got rocked, including his last time out against the Blue Jays, when he gave up five earned runs in six innings – though he did strike out 10 batters.

In all, it’s added up to a 3-3 record with a 3.45 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 63 strikeouts compared to 10 walks in 44.1 innings.

On the flipside, Cortes has been one of the brightest surprises in all of baseball. The 27-year-old has long had talent, but few saw him being one of the early front runners for the AL Cy Young Award.

Cortes ranks second in the league in ERA (1.70) and third in WHIP (0.85) and has gone 4-1 on the season, ranking 12th in strikeouts (61) across 53 innings. After posting a 1.31 ERA in April, Cortes followed that with a 1.95 ERA across five starts in May.

He’s pitched into the eighth inning in three of his past four outings and has yet to give up more than three runs in a single game. New York is 7-2 in his nine starts this season.

Dynamic Offenses Square Off

The Angels long had one of the best offenses in baseball, but it’s come to a screeching halt of late. They’ve scored the second most runs in the American League and are sixth in baseball, but have been held to three runs or fewer on four occasions during this losing streak.

That said, they have done extremely well against left-handed pitching this year. Los Angeles is hitting .255 as a team against southpaws with a .325 OBP and .718 OPS with Taylor Ward (12-for-30) and the game’s best player, Mike Trout (17-for-44) leading the charge.

That said, over the past week those two hitters and Ohtani (the best three on the Angels this year) are just a combined 9-for-55, though four of those hits are home runs.

New York meanwhile never seems to stop hitting. The Yankees are third in the American League in runs scored and have scored seven or more runs three times in their last seven contests.

Aaron Judge is leading the way with an MVP type year, ranking first in baseball in home runs (18), fourth in OPS (1.029), sixth in RBIs (38) and tied for 16th in average (.303).

New York also does most of its damage at home, hitting .243 as a team with a .321 OBP and .749 OPS.

X-factors to Watch

For New York, we’re not just worried about someone who hits well at home or against right-handed pitching, we are focused on someone who is hot right now (that’s what it will take to get some hits off Ohtani).

Lately, that’s been Gleyber Torres. The shortstop is 7-for-23 (.304) over the past week with two home runs and a .914 OPS.

For Los Angeles, one of the best hitters while away from Angel Stadium has been Anthony Rendon. The third baseman is 20-for-63 (.317) on the road this season, with seven extra-base hits and a .908 OPS.

How to Watch Angels at Yankees