MLB Odds: Athletics (Anderson) at Yankees (Burnett)

Yankees pitcher A.J. Burnett hasn't been good of late. (AP Images)

This game may not mean much to the Oakland Athletics on Bodog’s MLB odds, but the New York Yankees are in a heated battle with the Tampa Bay Rays for the American League East title. New York (+125) is 7-1 against Oakland (-145) this year.

New York will send the disappointing A.J. Burnett (9-12, 5.17 ERA) to the hill. Burnett never got it going this season. The hard-throwing righty was prone to brutal slumps, like a 0-5 June and 0-4 August. Burnett has allowed at least six runs in three of his last five starts, including a nine-run, 3.1-inning effort in his last outing. He has faced Oakland once this year, allowing a pair of runs through seven innings. That brought Burnett’s career numbers to 3-3 with a 3.81 ERA in eight career starts against the A’s.

The Yankees haven’t hit a great average against Oakland this year, but they’ve done a solid job producing runs. Nick Swisher has been the best of the Bronx Bombers, batting .393. Curtis Granderson and Derek Jeter must both step up; they’re each hitting .154 or less.

Oakland will counter with Brett Anderson (3-5, 3.32 ERA). Anderson has been plagued with brutal run support; despite posting a 3.41 ERA in August, he went just 1-3 and the Athletics lost four of his five starts. Anderson finally lapsed in his last start, allowing four runs in two innings against the Rangers. The young lefty has faced the Yankees three times in his career—all last year—and allowed 12 runs and 24 hits in 19 innings.

The Athletics' lineup has been horrendous against New York this season; Oakland owns a .184 average and 20 runs scored in eight games against the Yanks. In fact, no everyday player is hitting higher than .269 against the Yankees this season.

Bet on the A’s-Yankees series at Bodog