DraftKings Sportsbook<\/a>. The Reds are +104 underdogs, with the game total set at O\/U 8.5 runs.<\/p>\nReds vs. Yankees Preview<\/p>\n
Cincinnati Reds<\/p>\n
Save for a beatdown of both New York clubs this week, the Reds have shown that they\u2019re in dire straits without Elly De La Cruz. Cincinnati has gone just 6\u201311 since its star shortstop landed on the injured list with a hamstring injury on May 31, just ahead of Boston for the worst mark in MLB.<\/p>\n
In that span, the Reds\u2019 lineup has gone from unlucky to unacceptable, ranking 28th in wRC+ and 25th in wOBA since the calendar flipped to June. They\u2019re hoping that Saturday\u2019s six-RBI performance from rookie sensation Sal Stewart \u2014 who has also struggled of late \u2014 can be the catalyst that the offense desperately needs.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cincinnati has a strong chance to build on that momentum on Sunday, set to deploy right-handed fireballer Chase Burns. The 23-year-old hurler ranks fourth in MLB with a 2.01 ERA (2.90 xERA), while also posting a 1.02 WHIP and 95 strikeouts across 14 starts (80.2 IP) in 2026. Burns is coming off five shutout innings with seven strikeouts against the crosstown rival Mets, though he\u2019s not typically economical with his pitch count. And that dreadful bullpen \u2014 which ranks 28th in ERA (4.91) and dead-last in xERA (5.27) this season \u2014 is one that opponents look forward to like Christmas morning.<\/p>\n
New York Yankees<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s Yankees squad features the best supporting cast Aaron Judge has had in a long time, as evidenced by their strong performance in his absence. New York has gone an American League-best 10\u20136 since the perennial MVP went down with a fractured rib on May 31.<\/p>\n
Even without Judge, the Yankees\u2019 offense has remained dangerous, stamped with a top-ten wRC+. Former MVPs Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt have turned back the clock, while an ascendant Ben Rice has emerged as one of the top sluggers in the sport.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
While the pitching staff has largely been outstanding \u2014 even the oft-polarizing bullpen \u2014 New York is taking a gamble on Sunday by recalling No. 2 prospect Elmer Rodriguez to start the series finale. The lanky right-hander struggled in his first taste of big-league action earlier this season, posting a 4.15 ERA (6.20 xERA) across three starts (13 IP), not generating enough strikeouts while doling out too many free passes.<\/p>\n
Reds vs. Yankees Pick, Best Bet<\/p>\n
Few teams make pitchers work harder than the Yankees, who, even without Judge, are the most formidable offense in the American League. They should be able to run up Burns\u2019 pitch count and capitalize against Cincinnati\u2019s weak bullpen. Meanwhile, even a slumping Reds offense stands a chance against Rodriguez, who was rather erratic during his initial stint in the majors.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If the ice-cold Reds can put up 10 runs on their own, both clubs should unite to clear the 8.5-run threshold in Sunday\u2019s series finale.<\/p>\n
Best Bet: Over 8.5 Runs (-103)<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Cooper Albers previews Sunday\u2019s MLB series finale between the Cincinnati Reds and the New York Yankees at Yankee…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":273042,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[9,11,10,12482],"class_list":["post-273041","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-headlines","tag-new-york-news","tag-rail"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/273041","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=273041"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/273041\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/273042"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=273041"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=273041"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=273041"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}