Pittsburgh Pirates at New York Yankees

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
PIT	0	3	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	9	2
NYY	4	0	4	0	0	0	0	0	—	8	11	1

Braxton Ashcraft took the ball in the Bronx fresh off his first career All-Star nod, the reward for a first half that quietly made him Pittsburgh's best pitcher. Across from him, Ryan Weathers got the call for New York after his weekend turn against the Dodgers got rained out, with the matchup on paper looking like a break for him against a Pirates lineup that's struggled against lefty pitching away from PNC Park. First pitch went off at 7:05 PM ET with plenty riding on both arms.

Show fees

FINAL

Spread

ML

Total

Pirates(52-48)

WLWPW

5

+1.5-194+104o7.5-115

Yankees(55-44)

WLPLW

8

-1.5+194-108u7.5+117

Best BetYankees -121

Postgame

The Yankees ML cashed as New York pulled away for the win, with the lefty matchup angle playing out despite Weathers' rough ERA.

Pregame

New York was priced as the razor-thin home favorite, and the pick banked on the Bombers' lineup depth showing up even without Judge and Stanton. Weathers' matchup theory against a Pirates lineup that's leaked against lefties on the road was the real hook here, not the raw ERA line.

New York took the field without Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, and the absences have been piling up all July for the Yankees — Carlos Rodon, Max Fried and Clarke Schmidt are all still working back from the injured list too. The Pirates aren't at full strength either, missing Oneil Cruz, Konnor Griffin, Endy Rodriguez and Spencer Horwitz, which left both dugouts leaning on names further down the depth chart than either club would like. None of that stopped the market from pricing this one close to a coin flip before first pitch.

Braxton Ashcraft

(11-4)·3.96 ERA

Jul 11 vs Brewers

ND

5.0IP

5ER

6K

2BB

98P

07/20 Lineup

Ryan Weathers

(4-7)·3.99 ERA

Jul 10 @ Nationals

ND

5.1IP

1ER

6K

0BB

91P

07/20 Lineup

That depth math showed up fast once the game started. Ashcraft came in on a 4-start winning streak and an ERA in the 3s — exactly the form that got him to Philadelphia for the All-Star Game — but the Yankees didn't seem to care about the résumé once they got in the box.

Pittsburgh Pirates

(52-48)

Jul 19W@ Guardians7-1

Jul 18L@ Guardians3-5

Jul 18W@ Guardians7-1

Jul 17P@ Guardians0-0

Jul 12Wvs Brewers14-5

New York Yankees

(55-44)

Jul 19Wvs Dodgers2-1

Jul 19Lvs Dodgers2-8

Jul 19Pvs Dodgers0-0

Jul 17Lvs Dodgers1-2

Jul 12W@ Nationals5-3

Both clubs arrived on uneven footing. Pittsburgh had won 3 of its last 5, including a stretch against Cleveland with a couple of comfortable wins, while New York had dropped 2 of its last 5 against the Dodgers and needed a gritty finish just to salvage that series. Monday looked like a chance for the Yankees to build off that momentum at home, and the lineup made sure it did.

Pittsburgh Pirates

(6)

• 10-Day-ILEndy Rodriguez (C) — Rodriguez (hip) is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game versus Atlanta.07/08
• 10-Day-ILSpencer Horwitz (1B) — Horwitz (hamstring) has begun a running program at the Pirates' spring training complex in Florida, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.07/07
• 15-Day-ILEvan Sisk (RP) — Sisk was placed on the 15-day injured list Saturday with left elbow inflammation, Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.07/04
• 60-Day-ILOneil Cruz (CF) — The Pirates transferred Cruz (hand) to the 60-day injured list Saturday, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.07/18
• 60-Day-ILKonnor Griffin (SS) — The Pirates transferred Griffin (finger) to the 60-day injured list Saturday, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.07/11
• 60-Day-ILChris Devenski (RP) — Devenski (illness) was transferred from the 15-day IL to the 60-day IL on Sunday.06/07

New York Yankees

(5)

• 10-Day-ILGiancarlo Stanton (DH) — Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters Monday that Stanton has "no timeline" to start a minor-league rehab assignment, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.07/20
• 15-Day-ILCarlos Rodon (SP) — Rodon (elbow) received a second round of injections after throwing about 10 pitches off a mound Friday and could progress to a full bullpen session this week, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.07/19
• 15-Day-ILMax Fried (SP) — Manager Aaron Boone said Friday that Fried (elbow) will make at least two rehab starts before a decision will be made on his activation from the 15-day injured list, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reports.07/17
• 60-Day-ILAaron Judge (RF) — Manager Aaron Boone said Saturday that a specialist determined that Judge (ribs) is not yet ready to resume baseball activities, Erik Boland of Newsday reports.07/18
• 60-Day-ILClarke Schmidt (SP) — Schmidt (elbow) will throw live batting practice Saturday, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reports.07/17

The absences mattered in real time. With Judge and Stanton out, New York needed its depth pieces to produce runs in bunches instead of waiting on one swing — and that's exactly what happened early. Pittsburgh, missing 4 regulars including its starting catcher and first baseman, didn't have the same margin for error once the deficit built.

Ashcraft's final line didn't match the form that got him to Philadelphia, and Weathers got just enough from a shorthanded Yankees lineup to grab the win. For a Pirates team still hanging around .500 despite all the injuries, it's the kind of loss that stings more in hindsight than it did in the moment — they'll regroup for game 2 of the series.