Astros vs Yankees Prediction and Best Bets for Today (8/3)

Last season, Houston Astros pitcher Cristian Javier had his way with the New York Yankees. Will we see more of the same tonight in his first matchup with the Bronx Bombers this season (7:15 pm ET, FOX)?

This primetime MLB matchup at Yankee Stadium is the opener of a four-game series between Houston (62-47, 31-22 away) and New York (56-52, 33-26 home), who haven’t met since they faced off in last season’s American League Championship Series.

That series was a four-game sweep for the Astros, who went on to win the World Series. A similar result could see them surpass the Texas Rangers for first place in the AL West.

The Yankees salvaged a win in their series finale against the Rays yesterday, but 14 losses in their last 22 games have put them at the bottom of the AL East and in need of a boost after consecutive series losses to AL East rivals.

Houston Astros vs New York Yankees Odds

Moneyline

• Houston Astros -108
• New York Yankees -112

Over/Under

• Over 9 (+100)
• Under 9 (-120)

Run Line

• Houston Astros +1.5 (-220)
• New York Yankees -1.5 (+180)

Pitching Matchup for Astros vs Yankees

• Houston Astros: RHP Cristian Javier (20 starts, 7-2, 4.33 ERA)
• New York Yankees: LHP Clarke Schmidt (22 appearances – 21 starts, 7-6, 4.39 ERA)

Floundering Yankees Face Fearsome Foe

Despite the Rangers’ emergence as a contender and the Astros facing their share of ups and downs this season, it was perhaps inevitable that we would arrive at this point, where Houston is only a half-game behind in early August and is trending towards behind as healthy as they could hope for at the business end of the season.

Yesterday’s 3-2 win over the Cleveland Guardians secured Houston’s first three or four-game sweep since late May, and it was their 10th win in their last 14 games.

Two of the four losses in that span have come in Javier’s last two starts, but he should be hopeful of success tonight in the Big Apple.

Last season, Javier owned the Yankees. His efforts in a combined no-hitter at Yankee Stadium on June 25 stand out, of course. In that start, he struck out 13 and walked one in seven superlative innings.

But in his other two starts, one on July 21 at Minute Maid Park and one in Game 3 of the ALCS at Yankee Stadium, saw him allow only one run and three hits combined in 10.1 innings.

This season, the Yankees have been at their worst against right-handers, which isn’t the most encouraging bit of information ahead of this matchup.

They aren’t lighting it up against lefties or righties, but in games started by righties, they are hitting .229 and averaging 4.16 runs per game. In games started by lefties, they are hitting .239 and averaging 5.05 runs per game. Overall, they are hitting .229 against LHP and .239 against RHP this season.

By contrast, the Astros are at their best against lefties. In games started by LHP, they are hitting .270 and averaging 5.48 runs per game. In games started by RHP, they are hitting .241 and averaging 4.46 runs per game. Overall, they are hitting .264 against LHP and .245 against RHP this season.

Houston Astros vs New York Yankees Prediction and Best Bets

Astros vs Yankees Best Bet: Astros ML (-102 at Bovada)

Schmidt is 5-0 in his last five starts, but the numbers on the whole aren’t great, as New York is just 4-9 in his 13 home starts and 9-12 in his 21 overall starts in 2023.

Javier has had some outings lately that weren’t particularly great, giving up three or more runs six times in his last eight starts after doing so only four times in his first dozen starts this season. But this matchup lines up very well for him and for the Astros as well.

Where to Bet on MLB

Many of the top online sportsbooks offer a wide variety of MLB odds throughout the season. In addition to being able to make daily MLB picks on games from Opening Day until the final game of the Fall Classic, you can also bet on the other major awards (MLB MVP, Cy Young Award, and MLB Rookie of the Year) and World Series odds.

• BetOnline
• BetUS
• Bookmaker
• Sportsbetting.ag

Along with Bovada, where the Astros vs Yankees odds in this article came from, there are plenty of sports betting sites you can choose from that are good for MLB betting. The above books are some of the others that we highly recommend.

If you don’t have an account at a book on this list, check out our reviews to help you determine if it is worth your interest and your betting funds.