Yankees-Red Sox continues Saturday night in The Bronx.
The rivals meet for Game 2 of their weekend series at Yankee Stadium, and one number stands out on the board now that the Bombers are dealing with life without Aaron Judge.
Judge’s absence – not to mention the continued loss of their other right-handed slugger, Giancarlo Stanton – changes the entire shape of the Yankees’ lineup, not just because he is baseball’s most dangerous hitter, but because New York is suddenly much easier to attack.
The Yankees were already too right-handed heavy, and without Judge anchoring the middle of the order, Boston southpaw Ranger Suarez will have a much clearer path navigating their lineup on Saturday evening.
Suarez has been solid this year, posting a 3.38 ERA across 11 starts.
He’s twice thrown eight shutout innings in an outing twice already this season, showing he’s capable of utterly dominating a lineup.
The left-hander struggled last time he faced the Yankees in April, but that was thanks, in large part, to the presence of Judge and Stanton.
Stanton had two doubles off Suarez, while Judge added a single and a pair of walks.
Aside from a three-run homer off the bat of Amed Rosario, not much damage was done against Suarez that day.
There is enough evidence that Suarez can handle this version of the Yankees lineup, especially with Judge and Stanton no longer looming from the right side.
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That gives us a good buy point on Suarez to limit the damage in a matchup that looks far less intimidating than it did the last time he took on the pinstripes.
The play: Ranger Suarez to allow fewer than 2.5 earned runs (-120, BetMGM Sportsbook)
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Dylan Svoboda is a versatile writer and analyst across many sports. He’s particularly knowledgeable about the big three — MLB, the NFL and the NBA.
