Yankees turn to Gerrit Cole against struggling Tigers as Aaron Judge's return timeline remains unclear

Yesterday certainly did not go the way that I had hoped. I had two plays and lost three units on the day. One of the plays was decent, the other was a disaster. It happens from time to time, but I try to avoid those situations as much as possible. Staying positive is a major part of the mental side of sports betting. Today I'm trying to get some units back between the Yankees and Tigers.

The New York Yankees are doing just fine without their man, Aaron Judge, in the lineup. It is still early, and as far as I know, there is no official timeline for his return. Still, the team is 16 games above .500 for the season, and they are even nine games above on the road. You have to assume at this point the Yankees are still the favorite to win the American League, and will look to boost the team to manage the load while they await Judge.

They already got one of their big names back on the team, and he has made a major impact already. Gerrit Cole takes the hill today, and this will be his sixth start of the year. Cole is 2-1 for the season with a 2.57 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP. I faded him last start, and it cost me. I thought the White Sox were good value against him as he had struggled a bit in his two previous starts. He went out against Chicago and threw six innings of two-run ball. He allowed three hits and two walks. Against Tigers hitters, he has been strong, holding them to a .200 average, and only Kerry Carpenter has had any real success against him.

The Detroit Tigers are blowing a golden opportunity. There are some seasons where it seems like virtually everyone over performs, and there are somewhere it seems like everyone underperforms. This is one of those years where it seems like everyone on the Tigers is falling short. The reality is somewhere in between, because there are some people who are doing very well for the club. Riley Green is having a strong year, Kevin McGonigle is doing well, and even Dillon Dingler is having an All-Star-caliber campaign.

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Still, the team is just 33-44 for the season. The good news for them is that they are in a very winnable division, so they may be able to get there if they get some hot streaks. They will need today's starter, Framber Valdez, to improve significantly. He was an offseason signing and is just 3-5 with a 4.09 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP. He has struggled in his home starts, throwing to a 4.94 ERA at home compared to 3.59 on the road. One of the best things about him used to be consistency. He is not that this season. He is either allowing two or fewer runs or four or more in every game.

The good news for the Tigers is that Valdez has at least been decent against the Yankees overall. They are hitting just .236 against him in their careers. Jose Caballero has been awesome against him, though, going 6-for-13 with three extra-base hits. I'm not advocating for a play on him, just sharing in case you're doing fantasy or anything else.

The play in this one is to back Cole. You're not going to get the Yankees at a good price like this regularly. Sure, Valdez could deliver a quality start as he has been known to do in the past. I'm taking the Yankees for the game. I like their roster better and think Cole looks solid right now.

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