The biggest thing standing between the New York Yankees and a nine-game winning streak going into the All-Star break is Cliff Lee of the Seattle Mariners.
The Mariners are -115 MLB odds favorites and the over/under is 7.
The New York Yankees (54-31, 26-18 away) have won six consecutive games and their final three games before the All-Star break are against the lowly Mariners. But on Friday night, the Yankees will attempt to get their seventh consecutive win against one of the most dominant pitchers in the league.
Lee has made it a habit of beating the Yankees. He was the winning pitcher in Philadelphia’s only two victories in last year’s World Series. Just over a week ago, Lee (8-3, 2.34 ERA) pitched a complete game against New York and got the win. He improved his record to 7-2 with a 3.27 ERA in his last nine starts against the Yankees.
The Yankees will start Phil Hughes (10-2, 3.83 ERA), one of eight Yankees named to Tuesday’s All-Star game. Although Hughes has been great this season, his worst outing of the year came on June 29 when he pitched opposite Lee. He gave up 10 hits and 7 runs in 5 2/3 innings in a losing effort.
The Seattle Mariners (34-51, 20-22 home) will be trying to end a four game losing streak Friday night. All four losses have come at home. Lee has been their one bright spot this season but with his contract set to expire at the end of the year, he is a candidate to be traded before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline. The Yankees are a potential suitor for him.
