New York Yankees vs. Houston Astros: Odds, Preview, & Prediction | Thursday, June 23rd

New York Yankees vs. Houston Astros Preview: Great pitching matchup in the Bronx tonight

Tonight, the New York Yankees and the Houston Astros will meet in a battle of two of the best teams in the MLB. The New York Yankees sit atop the league's standings with a 51-18 record. The Houston Astros sit just below the Yankees in the American League standings with a record of 43-25. This could be a potential preview for the American League Championship Series.

Below, you will find a brief preview of each team followed by a prediction for the game.

New York Yankees Preview:

"Road Warriors." - New York Yankees

The Yankees pitching staff has been spectacular this season, holding a 2.90 ERA that leads the MLB. Tonight, they will send Jameson Taillon to the mound. He has had a career-best year so far, with a record of 8-1 and an ERA of 2.70. Taillon's last start came against the talented Toronto Blue Jays lineup, where he gave up no runs through 5.2 innings.

Offensively, the New York Yankees are led by AL MVP frontrunner Aaron Judge, Anthony Rizzo, and Giancarlo Stanton. Judge has been spectacular this season, leading the Yankees in all of the important offensive categories. Scoring 5.12 runs per nine innings, the New York Yankees score more than any other team in the MLB.

The key to victory for the Yankees tonight is to continue to get quality production out of their starting pitchers and bullpen. The offense is talented enough to find ways to take advantage of their run scoring opportunities.

Houston Astros Preview:

"Next stop? The Bronx." - Houston Astros

The Houston Astros have been one of the most consistent teams in the MLB over the last five years. That hasn't changed this year, as they lead the AL West. Like the Yankees, the Astros have been led by their pitching staff. The Astros staff ranks third in the MLB in team ERA and have efficiently produced. Tonight, they give the ball to Framber Valdez.

Valdez has been very good this season, allowing three runs or less in all but one of his 12 starts. To this point, Valdez has a 7-3 record with an ERA of 2.78. So, he has been one of the best pitchers in their rotation thus far. He will face a tough and talented Yankees lineup tonight, hoping that he has his best stuff.

The offense is led by Jose Altuve, Yordan Alvarez, and Kyle Tucker. Although they haven't been as great as in recent years, they still have found ways to win ball games. The key to victory for the Astros is to get Jameson Taillon out of the game as quickly as possible. Scoring off the Yankees is hard, but the front-half of their bullpen has some weaknesses that can be taken advantage of.

Pick/Prediction: No Run First Inning (NRFI) (-125)

With the pitching matchup, this value seems very good for a no-run first inning. Taillon and Valdez are both more than capable of putting up a scoreless opening frame. We're going with a NRFI and not looking back!