Yankees host Angels as all eyes on Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani

New York Yankees vs. Los Angeles Angels: Clarke Schmidt vs. Jose Suarez

The New York Yankees are set to start their first series of the 2023 season against the Los Angeles Angels. Tuesday will mark the beginning of a three-game series that will take place at Yankee Stadium. Fans from both sides expect a lot from Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani, the leading stars of two teams and American League MVPs of the two previous seasons.

Judge and Ohtani were locked in a tough contest for the AL MVP award last year before the Yankees power hitter beat the two-way LA star convincingly. Ohtani also doesn’t have a stellar record against the Yankees as a starter. In 2021, he was taken out early in the game at Yankee Stadium while in 2022, he end up giving three homers.

This year too the Yankees won’t be worried about his pitching. But as a hitter, he still poses a threat.

When: Tuesday, Apr. 18, 2023.

Time: 7:05 p.m. EDT.

Where: Yankee Stadium, New York.

TV: NBC Sports Bay Area, YES Network.

Stream: MLB.tv, DirecTv.

Moneyline: Yankees -143, Angels +122; over/under is 9 runs.

Pitching matchup: Clarke Schmidt will start for the Yankees while the Angels have Jose Suarez as their starter. He will face Shohei Ohtani first. While Schmidt has been .433 (13-for-30) against left-handed batters, his performance against the right-handers stands at .177 (3-for-17) so far in 2023.

Schmidt last pitched in a no-decision on Wednesday at Cleveland, when he gave three runs on six hits in four innings. Schmidt previously faced the Angels on June 2, 2022, and surrendered one run on two hits while pitching two-thirds of an inning. He’s never started a game versus Los Angeles.

The Angels will send out Jose Suarez (0-1, 10.80), who last pitched on April 10 and gave up four runs in four innings and 10 hits, tying a career low. Suarez has faced the Yankees four times (two times as a starter), going 2-1 with a 5.21 ERA. The last time he faced the Yankees was at home on August 29, 2022. He gave up two runs in six innings and won.

New York has a home record of 6-4 and an overall record of 10-6. With a total of 26 home runs and an average of 1.6 home runs per game, the Yankees are ranked third in the major leagues.

Los Angeles has a road record of 5-5 and an overall record of 8-8. The Angels have a 3-1 record when hitting two or more home runs.

The two teams will face each other for the first time so far this campaign in the game on Tuesday. The Yankees have a record of 6-4 in their last 10 games, with a batting average of .232, an earned run average of 3.48, and a run differential of 10.

Anthony Rizzo has a batting average of .315, which puts him in second place on the Yankees. He also has two doubles and four home runs. In the last 10 games, Rizzo is 12 for 38 with three home runs and five RBI.

Yankees to start with Clarke Schmidt

• Schmidt’s team has not covered in any of the three games with a spread that he’s started this season.
• The right-hander gave up three earned runs and six hits in four innings against the Cleveland Guardians on Wednesday.
• Schmidt’s team is 1-2 this season when he starts, and they are the favorite on the moneyline.
• Schmidt’s team has won one of the three times he has started.

Yankees Injured List: Giancarlo Stanton, Jonathan Loaisiga, Tommy Kahnle, Josh Donaldson, Frankie Montas, Lou Trivino, Harrison Bader, Carlos Rodon, Luis Severino, Luis Gil, Scott Effross, Ben Rortvedt.

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