The New York Yankees will face off with the San Francisco Giants this afternoon with their season potentially on the line.
- San Francisco Giants (58-39)
- New York Yankees (49-48)
- Interleague, 1:05 pm ET, YES Network
- Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY
The New York Yankees will not only be playing the rubber game of their series this afternoon, they will be playing the rubber game of this home stand and, therefore, their season.
Coming into this 10-game stretch at .500, the Yanks were set to face some extremely formidable opponents with the thought of selling at an all-time high. However, the team proved plenty of doubters wrong.
After losing two of three to the Red Sox, they bounced back to take three of four from the first-place Orioles, and then took the series opener against the Giants. If it was not for a heartbreaking loss yesterday, they would be looking at a potential 7-3 home stand.
Now, their record nine games through sits at 5-4, the question as to whether they should execute a partial or complete overhaul seems ever so unclear, and a July 24 Sunday afternoon matchup will have the urgency of late September.
Before heading to Houston for three tough games, the Yankees will have to come away with this one.
Pitching Matchup
Nathan Eovaldi (8-6, 4.93 ERA) will take the ball for New York opposing Jeff Samardzija (9-5, 4.05 ERA).
Eovaldi is coming off an impressive start against Baltimore in which he permitted one run on four hits in 5.1 innings. The 26-year-old right-hander came away with the win in the outing, which marked his return to the rotation following a brief demotion to the bullpen. In five career starts against the Giants, he is 1-4 with a brutal 13.30 ERA.
Each start, the flamethrower could not only be pitching for his rotation spot but for his trade stock.
Samardzija, an offseason pickup for the Giants, has been solid this year as the team has formed a nice tandem at the top of their rotation. However, he has not been so solid in his last seven starts.
The 31-year-old has in fact come away with a 2-1 record, but his ERA sits at a subpar 5.44. In his last start in San Diego, he surrendered four earned runs over five frames.
In three career appearances — two starts — against the Yanks, he is 0-1 with a dismal 6.92 ERA.
Lineups
#NastyNate takes the hill as the #Yankees look to take series from Giants. https://t.co/A7uMCckVQI #LetsGoYankees pic.twitter.com/1xO3nYlyCm
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) July 24, 2016
Shark and the #SFGiants play the rubber match in the Bronx today. https://t.co/mkOba6314W pic.twitter.com/TxepepQejR
— #WeAreSF (@SFGiants) July 24, 2016
Bold Prediction
Nathan Eovaldi gives the Yankees seven quality innings as the offense pounces on Jeff Samardzija for eight runs en route to a victory. Jacoby Ellsbury goes 5-5 as the Bombers come away with a 6-4 home stand.
