New York Yankees

The New York Yankees plan on doing some home cooking against the Colorado Rockies, a team that swept them just a week ago. 

  • Colorado Rockies (33-36)
  • New York Yankees (34-35)
  • Interleague, 7:10 PM ET, WPIX
  • Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY
Entering last week, the New York Yankees were poised to go on a stretch that would shoot them over .500 for good as they were slated to play the Colorado Rockies and Minnesota Twins. However, a disappointing 3-3 record against the lowly clubs forced them to hit the restart button.

So, here we are. New York gets set to play four teams that own a combined record of 129-151. Take away the Texas Rangers and three of their next four opponents (Rockies, Twins, Padres) own a .397 winning percentage. The time is now to clean up their dismal start and get back into relevancy.

They will start this stretch by sending Ivan Nova to the hill to get things started. He is looking for a bounce-back start as Nova has allowed six home runs in his last five outings putting a dent into his 6.30 ERA in that span.

Additionally, he’s allowed five runs in two of his past three outings in which the opposition owns a .857 OPS.

Last week, Nova was roughed up for five runs but returning to Yankee Stadium where he owns a 3-1 record with a 2.64 ERA in seven appearances could provide him with a comfortable atmosphere.

Opposing him will be the right-hander, Chad Bettis. He collected his first victory since May 17 against the Yankees last Wednesday by holding the Bombers to three runs in six innings pitched.

During his latest winless streak (four games), he owned an 11.57 ERA while opposing hitters slashed .417/.471/.744 with an OPS of 1.215 and six home runs against him.

Chasing History:

Yankees’ designated hitter Alex Rodriguez is five homers away from becoming just the fourth player in Major Lague Baseball history to reach the 700 home run mark. 

He is hitting .313 in the last seven days but only has one home run at Yankee Stadium here in 2016 compared to the other seven coming on the road. I’d bet my money on five home runs coming off the bat of A-Rod during this homestand is quite unlikely so if you’re looking to buy tickets to be at the game when he hits it, wait a little bit. 

Yes In-Didi:

In his last six games, Didi Gregorius is 10-for-24 with two homers and nine RBI. Overall, his batting average is at .282 thanks to a surge that initiated on June 7. 

Since then, Didi has been Greglorius by slashing .356/.408/.556 with an OPS of .964 including a BAbip of .350. Look for the shortstop to stay hot as he returns to a place in which he owns a .296 batting average in. 

Unload The Cargo:

Rockies’ outfielder Carlos Gonzalez has hit safely in six straight games including going 6-for-11 with a homer and three runs scored in the brief two-game series against the Yankees last week. 

During his six-game surge, Gonzalez owns a slash line of .423/.444/.654 including a monstrous 1.098 OPS. In a brief three games at the “new” Yankee Stadium, he has two hits in eight at-bats (.250 BA). 

Bold Prediction:

Nova goes scoreless in the first three innings but falters and gets chased in the fifth as the Rockies take the lead thanks to a Trevor Story RBI. However, a late home run by Rob Refsnyder helps the Yankees begin their optimistic stretch with a dramatic 7-6 victory. 

NEXT: Ivan Nova Could Be Pitching For His Job