New York is 25-11, riding a 5-game winning streak, and trotting out Will Warren, who has rattled off 3 straight quality starts and just punched out 9 Orioles in his last outing. The Rangers, meanwhile, are 16-19 and have dropped 3 of 5. The line tells you everything: Yankees -1.5, juiced up, and the public is hammering them.
Warren has been the breakout of the Yankees' rotation while they wait on Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon to come off the IL. He's allowed 2 earned runs or fewer in every start this season, and the changeup he reworked over the winter has him no longer getting eaten alive by lefties. That's a real problem for a Texas lineup already shorthanded.
- Day-To-DaySebastian Walcott SS — Rangers GM Ross Fenstermaker said Tuesday that Walcott could be ready for game action in August, "if all things according to plan" in his rehab from the internal brace procedure he underwent on his right elbow, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.
- 10-Day-ILJosh Smith 2B — Smith is out of the lineup for Friday's game versus the Tigers.
- 10-Day-ILWyatt Langford LF — Langford (forearm) rejoined the Rangers in Detroit on Saturday and will rest for a full week before being reevaluated by the team, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.
- 10-Day-ILCody Freeman 3B — Freeman (back) has resumed baseball activities, Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News reports.
- 15-Day-ILChris Martin RP — Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said Friday that Martin (biceps) "took the next step" in his recovery and will throw a bullpen soon, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.
- 15-Day-ILCarter Baumler RP — Baumler (intercostal) allowed one run on two hits over one inning in a rehab appearance at Triple-A Round Rock last Wednesday.
- 15-Day-ILRobert Garcia RP — The Rangers placed Garcia on the 15-day injured list Thursday with left shoulder inflammation.
- 15-Day-ILLuis Curvelo RP — The Rangers placed Curvelo on the 15-day injured list Wednesday with a right shoulder impingement, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.
- Day-To-DayRyan Weathers SP — Weathers was scratched from his scheduled start for Thursday's game against the Rangers due to an illness he suffered earlier in the week, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.
- Day-To-DayBen Rice 1B — Rice (hand) is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rangers.
- Day-To-DayBen Hess SP — Double-A Somerset placed Hess on its 7-day injured list April 18 due to an unspecified injury.
- Day-To-DayTravis MacGregor SP — MacGregor signed a minor-league contract with the Angels on Monday.
- 10-Day-ILGiancarlo Stanton DH — Stanton (calf) has not been cleared to resume running, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.
- 15-Day-ILGerrit Cole SP — Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Wednesday that Cole (elbow) is expected to need a "couple more" rehab starts before being activated from the 15-day injured list, David Lennon of Newsday reports.
- 15-Day-ILCarlos Rodon SP — Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Wednesday that Rodon (elbow) is likely on track to return from the 15-day injured list to make his season debut Sunday in Milwaukee, Jorge Castillo of ESPN.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILAngel Chivilli RP — Manager Aaron Boone said Tuesday that Chivilli (shoulder) will be shut down from throwing for roughly three weeks, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.
Nathan Eovaldi is the wildcard here, and not in a fun way. His 4.76 ERA undersells the issue — he's leading the American League in home runs allowed, which is the absolute worst skill to bring into Yankee Stadium. The counter-argument: Eovaldi historically owns the Yankees, just threw 7 scoreless against them, and May has been his month for years. If anyone on this Texas roster can steal a game in the Bronx, it's him.
The market knows all of this. Yankees moneyline is sitting around -196 with the under/over at 8.5 and the public piling on the home side and the over. The EV doesn't love any of it — DK is shading every number — but if you're looking for the spot where Texas has a pulse, it's Eovaldi-vs.-Yankees voodoo and a bullpen game waiting on the other side.
First pitch is 6:05 PM ET. Yankees are the right side on paper. Rangers need Eovaldi to channel whatever he was doing the last time he saw pinstripes, because if Warren keeps doing what he's been doing, this one ends early.