Game 1 of the NLDS takes place on Sunday night and we will see the New York Yankees travel to Camden Yards to take on the Baltimore Orioles. The game is scheduled for a 6:00 (ET) pm start time and it will be televised live on TBS. Currently the ODDS have New York favored at -162, while Baltimore is dogs of +150. The total for the game sits at 7.5 runs. Find out what the Public is taking by clicking HERE.
Free Analysis: Despite having home-field advantage, New York starts the ALDS on the road for two games, meaning it must earn at least a split to avoid coming home in a must-win situation. The Yankees, who posted the best record in the AL during the regular season at 95-67, split the 18-game season series with the Orioles. But New York fared much better on the road, going 6-3 at Camden Yards as opposed to its 3-6 mark at home. The division rivals also met in the postseason in 1996, when the Yankees won the AL Championship Series in six games. Baltimore, which finished two games behind New York after being tied for the division lead with three days remaining in the regular season, advanced to the best-of-five by defeating Texas in Friday's first-ever AL Wild Card game. Joe Saunders pitched 5 2/3 solid innings en route to his first win in seven career decisions at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington and Nate McLouth drove in a pair of runs in the 5-1 triumph. After hitting a bump in the road, CC Sabathia finished the season strong, going 2-0 while allowing a total of four runs in 24 innings over his final three starts. The 32-year-old has dominated Baltimore during his career as he's posted a 16-4 record and 3.12 ERA in 25 meetings. But he struggled against the Orioles this year, as evidenced by his 0-2 mark and 6.38 ERA in three outings. Sabathia hasn't exactly blown away opponents in the postseason as he is 7-4 with a 4.81 ERA in 16 games, including one relief appearance. Jason Hammel made two starts after returning from a knee injury that sidelined him nearly two months. The 30-year-old allowed one run over five innings against New York on Sept. 6, then yielded one run in 3 2/3 frames versus Tampa Bay five days later. Hammel, who lost four straight decisions before being injured, is 1-3 with 6.20 ERA in 14 career games against the Yankees, including eight starts.
Other Notes: During the regular season, Baltimore went 74-0 when leading after seven innings, 29-9 in one-run games and 16-2 in extra-inning affairs, winning the final 16. Balls are likely to leave the park on a frequent basis in the series as New York (245) and Baltimore (214) were the top two teams in the major leagues in home runs during the regular season.
Free Pick: I like the Yanks in this one. Yes Sabathia has struggled vs the O's this year, but still in his career he is 16-4 with a 3.12 ERA in 25 career starts vs them, including 10-3 with a 3.38 ERA in this park. On the other side the Yanks are not a team that Jason Hammel likes pitching against as his teams are 3-5 in his starts vs them, while he has a 5.32 ERA in those starts. He will be facing a hot Yanks offense that is turning it on at the right time as they have averaged 6.8 rpg in their last 10 games and the Yanks did average 7.75 rpg in their 4 game set here in early September. I know the O's have some momentum, but the Yanks are also playing well and will take game 1 here behind their Ace.
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