Both of these clubs have battled injuries and sub-par performance in the first half of the 2014 MLB season – the difference being that perhaps one is a contender and the other has been a sheep in wolf’s clothing. <\/p>\n
Date\/Time: Friday, July 18 2014, 7:05 pm EST<\/strong>
\nVenue: Yankee Stadium, Bronx NY<\/b>
\nCincinnati +1.5, N.Y. Yankees -1.5<\/strong>
\nMoneyLine: Cincinnati -105, N.Y. -115<\/strong>
\nOver\/Under: 8<\/strong>
\nPitching Match-up: Mike Leake (7-7, 3.54 ERA) vs. David Phelps (3-4, 3.94 ERA)<\/strong>
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The visiting Reds (51-44) are without injured sluggers Brandon Phillips and Joey Votto (and Votto was having a down season before he went out of the lineup) so they’ve cobbled together an above-.500 record with contributions from Home Run Derby participant 3B Todd Frazier, career journeyman pitcher Alfredo Simon and speedy rookie OF Billy Hamilton.<\/p>\n
The Yankees (47-47) had their own All-Star Game snapshot (when don’t they, really?) with retiring SS Derek Jeter’s two-hit performance, but after ace pitcher Masahiro Tanaka went out for the year, their divisional chances travelled to Rubber Leg Street.<\/p>\n
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The Bronx Bombers have a below-.500 record at home, despite having a lineup of hitters that are meant to destroy the ball over the stadium’s short porch in right field. New York’s division, the AL East, is in a miserable state right now. Even in a wide-open table, the Yanks don’t look like they’ll have the staying power in the second half.<\/p>\n
Cincy intends to roll with the punches and hang around the ultra-competitive NL Central; without breakthrough performances from Frazier, Hamilton’s great rookie debut and a career year from ace Johnny Cueto, it wouldn’t be possible. The Reds pray that when Votto and Phillips come off the 15-day DL, they can hit the ground running.
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\nIf those two franchise guys are on form in addition to this year’s breakthrough players, the Reds suddenly become pretty well-rounded. Even without them in tonight’s contest, a player like Hamilton seems to be constantly improving. His blazing speed should terrorize an aging Yankees defense.<\/p>\nNew York still has players to fear on offense (OF Jacoby Ellsbury and 1B Mark Teixeira come to mind) but its pitching rotation is decimated; the most dynamic starters (Tanaka, C.C. Sabathia, Michael Pineda) are out for extended lengths of time. Tonight’s starter David Phelps is merely pedestrian and he’s currently one of New York’s best options. Yikes.<\/p>\n
New York GM Brian Cashman says his club will be aggressive on the market in trying to upgrade the rotation, but that’s a position he may default into merely because of the intense scrutiny of the Big Apple. Within the division, the Baltimore Orioles have a scary offense, the Toronto Blue Jays could re-discover their form and the Tampa Bay Rays have rebounded big time.<\/p>\n
It doesn’t augur well for historical AL East heavyweights the Yanks and the Boston Red Sox.<\/p>\n
In this interleague game, Reds starter Mike Leake doesn’t usually play in stadiums or with lineups this homer-happy in the National League. He’ll have to be careful and make a note to keep the ball down in this start to let Frazier, Hamilton and solid catcher Devin Mesoraco work their magic.<\/p>\n
The Reds are only a game and a half back of the division-leading Milwaukee Brewers, so they’ll be salivating to gain ground on two clubs (the Brewers and the second-place St. Louis Cardinals) that will likely keep their performance strong. If the Reds pick up a win tonight, they certainly have a chance to sweep the Yanks on their home turf.<\/p>\n