After winning 100 games, the New York Yankees (100-62, minus-9.50 betting units) still find themselves one game away from elimination. They earned the first Wild Card berth in the American League, and this Wednesday, they’ll host the Oakland Athletics (97-65, plus-36.63 units) in a win-or-go-home matchup; beginning at 8 PM ET on TBS.
The starting pitchers for Wednesday have yet to be determined at press time. In theory, New York’s choice is between Masahiro Tanaka (3.75 ERA) and Luis Severino (3.39 ERA), both of whom would be well-rested for the Wild Card Game. Severino got off to an amazing start in 2018, but had his ups and downs during the second half. Tanaka has provided five quality starts over his last eight appearances.
Oakland is rumored to be going with reliever Liam Hendriks (4.13 ERA) as their “opener” for the Wild Card Game. The Athletics don’t have any one pitcher who can be considered their ace, but they do have one of the best bullpens in the majors, and Hendriks has already opened eight games this year. Hendriks posted a 2.08 ERA over 8.2 innings in those games, leading the A’s to a 4-4 record with the Over at 6-2.
