New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge has been the American League MVP betting favorite at Caesars Sportsbook for many weeks and still is at +110, but the slumping Judge could fall behind Angels' dual-threat star Shohei Ohtani (+150) late Wednesday night if Ohtani delivers yet another stellar performance on the mound as the Halos host Houston. L.A. is a -120 favorite.
Tonight will be Ohtani's final appearance on the mound before Tuesday& #x27;s All-Star Game in Los Angeles, assuming he even pitches that night. The Angels might request to AL manager Dusty Baker that Ohtani simply play DH and not take the mound, but the fans clearly want to see him hit – he will start at designated hitter — and pitch. He was chosen for both spots for a second straight year. Per interim manager Phil Nevin, the Angels may not have an issue.
“Seeing him get an inning on the mound and then watching him hit, I think that's what all fans want to see,” Nevin said recently. “We get to see it every day. We kind of get spoiled. I know being on the West Coast, East Coast fans don't get to see it too often. For them to be able to tune in and see both sides of Shohei is pretty special for everybody.”
While Judge still leads the majors with 30 homers, he's hitting just .190 with a .277 OBP and 29.2 percent strikeout rate in his past 15 games. Judge has just one dinger this month. The Yankees had an of f day Monday and yet still rested Judge for Tuesday's game vs. Cincinnati (which they lost in epic fashion). Manager Aaron Boone said Judge was fine health-wise, but wanted to give him a second straight day off and plans to play Judge the rest of the week.