by Chuck Sommers
Wednesday, Mar 29, 2023
Time: 1:05 p.m. ET
Venue: Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY
Where to watch: YES, NBCSBA, MLBN
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Yankees -190, Giants +160
BetMGM: Yankees -185, Giants +150
Caesars: Yankees -189, Giants +158
Last season record
Giants: 81-81 (3rd place, NL West)
Yankees: 99-63 (1st place, AL East -- lost ALCS to Astros
Giants - Yankees preview and analysis
Baseball is back, and once again it's an important year for the New York Yankees. Will they finally win a championship with this group? One can only wonder how that'll happen if they don't fall short of the main goal again.
The Yankees will begin the season against the San Francisco Giants on Opening Day on Thursday in what should be an interesting pitching matchup between Logan Webb and Gerrit Cole.
If the Yankees are to succeed this year, part of that has to hinder on Cole being the ace they need him to be. Cole finished 13-8 last year with an ERA of 3.50. In fairness, he did pitch 200 innings and still struck out 257, but that's how much is being asked of him. The Yankees were able to get production from Nestor Cores and Jameson Taillon, but the latter is now in Chicago with the revamped Cubs.
Of course, for the Yankees, it begins and ends with Aaron Judge. The reigning American League MVP is coming off one of the best offensive seasons of the modern era with 62 home runs (a new AL record) while batting .311 and driving in a team-high 131 RBI.
New York brought back Anthony Rizzo on a two-year deal after he hit 32 homers last season, and Giancarlo Stanton is still one of the best power hitters in the game. Problem is, both Rizzo (.224) and Stanton (.211) struggled to hit for contact last year. They need to be better in that aspect.
The Giants are coming off a down year where they finished .500 due to a lackluster year offensively. No disrespect to Joc Pederson, but when he's your best hitter (.274), you need to evaluate some things.
Brandon Crawford, usually reliable at the plate, batted just .231, and Brandon Belt was at just .213 a year ago. They would like to get production from catcher Joey Bart, who hit 11 homers and batted .215 in his first go-round as the Giants' catcher. The Giants added former Seattle hitter extraordinaire Mitch Haniger in hopes of turning his run of form around after a down year.
But the Giants are always counted on with their pitching, and that starts with Webb. The 25-year-old ace went 15-9 last year with a 2.90 ERA. Carlos Rodon, who went 14-8 last year with the Giants and a 2.88 ERA, is now with the team San Francisco faces Thursday, but with no timetable of a return due to injury.
In his place, the Giants signed Sean Manaea after a down year with the Padres, going just 8-9.
San Francisco should be able to improve this year, but they're off to a tough test to begin the year.
The Yankees will begin the season against the San Francisco Giants on Opening Day on Thursday in what should be an interesting pitching matchup between Logan Webb and Gerrit Cole.
If the Yankees are to succeed this year, part of that has to hinder on Cole being the ace they need him to be. Cole finished 13-8 last year with an ERA of 3.50. In fairness, he did pitch 200 innings and still struck out 257, but that's how much is being asked of him. The Yankees were able to get production from Nestor Cores and Jameson Taillon, but the latter is now in Chicago with the revamped Cubs.
Of course, for the Yankees, it begins and ends with Aaron Judge. The reigning American League MVP is coming off one of the best offensive seasons of the modern era with 62 home runs (a new AL record) while batting .311 and driving in a team-high 131 RBI.
New York brought back Anthony Rizzo on a two-year deal after he hit 32 homers last season, and Giancarlo Stanton is still one of the best power hitters in the game. Problem is, both Rizzo (.224) and Stanton (.211) struggled to hit for contact last year. They need to be better in that aspect.
The Giants are coming off a down year where they finished .500 due to a lackluster year offensively. No disrespect to Joc Pederson, but when he's your best hitter (.274), you need to evaluate some things.
Brandon Crawford, usually reliable at the plate, batted just .231, and Brandon Belt was at just .213 a year ago. They would like to get production from catcher Joey Bart, who hit 11 homers and batted .215 in his first go-round as the Giants' catcher. The Giants added former Seattle hitter extraordinaire Mitch Haniger in hopes of turning his run of form around after a down year.
But the Giants are always counted on with their pitching, and that starts with Webb. The 25-year-old ace went 15-9 last year with a 2.90 ERA. Carlos Rodon, who went 14-8 last year with the Giants and a 2.88 ERA, is now with the team San Francisco faces Thursday, but with no timetable of a return due to injury.
In his place, the Giants signed Sean Manaea after a down year with the Padres, going just 8-9.
San Francisco should be able to improve this year, but they're off to a tough test to begin the year.
Prediction
The Yankees have won the last four meetings in New York and five of the last seven overall. This should be a fun pitching matchup, considering the under has cashed in five consecutive starts from Cole. At home with a fired-up crowd, home teams tend to do well. Yankees 5, Giants 3
The Yankees have won the last four meetings in New York and five of the last seven overall. This should be a fun pitching matchup, considering the under has cashed in five consecutive starts from Cole. At home with a fired-up crowd, home teams tend to do well. Yankees 5, Giants 3
Projected lineup
Giants:
LaMonte Wade Jr. (L) 1B
Michael Conforto (L) RF
David Villar (R) 3B
Joc Pederson (L) DH
Brandon Crawford (L) SS
Thairo Estrada (R) 2B
Blake Sabol (L) C
Bryce Johnson (S) CF
Brett Wisely (L) LF
SP - Logan Webb
LaMonte Wade Jr. (L) 1B
Michael Conforto (L) RF
David Villar (R) 3B
Joc Pederson (L) DH
Brandon Crawford (L) SS
Thairo Estrada (R) 2B
Blake Sabol (L) C
Bryce Johnson (S) CF
Brett Wisely (L) LF
SP - Logan Webb
Yankees:
DJ LeMahieu (R) DH
Aaron Judge (R) CF
Anthony Rizzo (L) 1B
Josh Donaldson (R) 3B
Gleyber Torres (R) 2B
Oswaldo Cabrera (S) RF
Aaron Hicks (S) LF
Jose Trevino (R) C
Anthony Volpe (R) SS
SP - Gerrit Cole
DJ LeMahieu (R) DH
Aaron Judge (R) CF
Anthony Rizzo (L) 1B
Josh Donaldson (R) 3B
Gleyber Torres (R) 2B
Oswaldo Cabrera (S) RF
Aaron Hicks (S) LF
Jose Trevino (R) C
Anthony Volpe (R) SS
SP - Gerrit Cole
Statistical leaders
Giants:
Batting average: Joc Pederson -- .274
Home runs: Joc Pederson -- 24
RBI: Wilmer Flores -- 71
Wins: Logan Webb -- 15
ERA: Carlos Rodon -- 2.88
Yankees:
Batting average: Aaron Judge -- .311
Home runs: Aaron Judge -- 62
RBI: Aaron Judge -- 131
Wins: Jameson Taillon -- 14
ERA: Nestor Cortes -- 2.44
Don't miss our champion handicappers' free picks and expert MLB picks today. And if you enjoyed this preview, be sure to drop by every day for our daily MLB projections and predictions.
Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
