Bronx Bomber Ball

  Welcome back to the first BBBets in two weeks! I took a nice long break following a very rough 0-5 day of picks, the worst of which being a Braves moneyline bet in a game in which they ended up losing to the Padres 12-1. Before that day I was 7-2 in bets given out for a net positive of +3.59 units. After that day I am looking at 7-7 in bets that I’ve given out for a net negative of -1.31 units. One bad day ruins quite the promising start to the season. While I am slightly positive in all of my MLB bets this season (including the bets I hadn’t given out), I want to get my record back on track and move my net losses back into the net gains on my BBBets picks. With that said, let’s get to the bets.

The Yankees took the diamond Friday night looking to extend their four-game win streak with a victory over the Rangers. The first game of this series saw the Yankees hit five home runs en route to a 7-3 win. Tonight, the bats came alive late, but the Yankees arms did not do enough to keep them in it as they fell 12-7 to the Rangers.

A rough night for Yankees pitching spoiled another offensive outburst, as the Rangers picked up a 12-10 win on Wednesday night in Arlington. Wednesday also marks the first time that the Yankees have lost a series since they lost two out of three against the Red Sox at Fenway in early April. Despite the loss, the offense continues to roll. The Yankees totaled 14 hits and four home runs in the losing effort. Photo Credit: Michael Ainsworth/AP

Just when it appeared that the Yankees were about to waste another brilliant outing from ace Luis Severino, the offense suddenly did just enough to scrap together a victory. After blowing a four run lead last night to eventually drop the series opener to the Rangers 11-5, the Yankees sent their ace to the mound and he didn't disappoint. The Bombers struggled to get anything going against Rangers starter Andrew Cashner. Once they were able to get into the Texas bullpen, however, the Yanks rallied to walk away with the victory. Photo Credit: Tony Gutierrez/AP

The New York Yankees drop their second straight series at Yankee Stadium, losing the rubber game to the Texas Rangers by a final score 7-6. Another poor pitching performance by Michael Pineda put the home team in a hole early that, despite their best efforts, they couldn't crawl out from. Photo Credit: Seth Wenig | AP

The Yankees welcome the Texas Rangers into Yankee Stadium this weekend with the specter of one win in their last nine games hanging over the club. The horrendous west coast trip didn't stop their free fall as they lost two out of three to the Angels and could see themselves permanently falling out of first place without a series win. The team's strong home record is still a plus as they are 12 games over .500 at the Stadium. Still, they will need solid pitching from a shaky group to re-establish confidence in a side that looked as if they were cruising to a division win just two weeks ago.

After a disappointing 7-1 loss to the Twins in Sunday’s series finale, the Yankees took another step in both the AL East and the AL Wild Card standings. The Yankees couldn't take advantage of playing two below average teams in the Colorado Rockies and the Minnesota Twins for the last week and a half, and now they will face a challenging test as they welcome the Texas Rangers, who are leading the AL West, into Yankee Stadium. Earlier this season when these two teams faced off, the Rangers took two out of three in Arlington.

After the Yankees won on Monday 3-1, thanks to Nathan Eovaldi’s dominant seven-inning outing, the Rangers retaliated last night with a 10-1 obliteration of the Yankees. Luis Severino struggled again, and this was his third out four starts where he’s run into trouble early and often. In this rubber game of a three-game series, the Rangers sent Martin Perez, while the Yankees sent CC Sabathia. Sabathia has been consistent, though not particularly dominant in any outing. Even if the Yankees can’t sweep three-game series, continuing to win every series is a step in the right direction, and a win tonight will be a big positive as they travel to Boston after tonight’s game. Picture Credit: Associated Press/Tony Gutierrez

Backed by last night’s terrific outing by Nathan Eovaldi, the Yankees won the opening game of a 3-game series against the Texas Rangers in Arlington, Texas, by a score of 3-1. After Eovaldi pitched seven strong innings, the best we’ve seen in him in a long time, Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller came in for an inning each to close the game out. Betances allowed a home run to Brett Nicholas, which was his first earned run of the year, but he still has an excellent ERA of 0.90. The Yankees sent Luis Severino (0-2, 4.86 ERA) to the hill today to face AJ Griffin (2-0, 3.18 ERA). Alex Rodriguez and Aaron Hicks remained out of the lineup due to injury, but A-Rod is expected back sooner than Hicks will be. Jacoby Ellsbury’s home run last night left Chase Headley as the only Yankees starter without a home run this season. Picture Credit: Associated Press/Tony Gutierrez

Over the weekend, the Yankees took two out of three games from the Tampa Bay Rays in Yankee Stadium. Today, the Yankees start a nine-game road trip, first with a three-game set in Arlington, Texas, against the Texas Rangers. The Rangers sent Cesar Ramos to the hill for a spot-start in replacement of Cole Hamels, who was pulled with a strained groin. Meanwhile, the Yankees sent Nathan Eovaldi to the mound for the first of these three games. The Yankees have improved with runners in scoring position, but players such as Chase Headley (although his defense has been much improved) have still struggled at the plate. Alex Rodriguez and Aaron Hicks both did not start due to an oblique and shoulder injury, respectively. However, Yankees manager Joe Girardi said there will not be a call-up as A-Rod is expected to return shortly and Hicks will return by the end of the week. Photo Credit: Associated Press/Brandon Wade