MLB Gas Cans Of The Day For Saturday, Aug. 27

New York Yankees vs. Adam Oller (6.41 ERA), Oakland Athletics

The New York Yankees are back, ladies and gentlemen. Well, maybe. They have been hot lately after a really long cold stretch that saw them have easily their worst month of the year. It appears they could be back, and they should be with how stacked this offense is from top to bottom. The recent addition of slugger Giancarlo Stanton back to the roster from injury is huge for them, as he is having a bounce back year in 2022 after struggling in 2021. They have also, of course, the league leader in home runs with 48 of them. That guys name is Aaron Judge, and he has absolutely demolished baseball this season. He's likely to win AL MVP, and now he gets to face our friend Adam Oller.

Oller has become a staple in these articles, appearing every time he takes the ball for Oakland. In his last start, he took the loss against Miami, allowing three runs on five hits and five walks while striking out two batters over six innings. He allowed at least one baserunner in each of his first five innings before finally retiring the side in order in the sixth. Oller continued a recent trend of issuing too many walks, as his five were a season high and marked the third time in his past four outings he has walked at least three batters. Oller does have consecutive quality starts for the first time this season, but he'll need to show better control to win games on a consistent basis.

Washington Nationals vs. Luis Cessa (5.67 ERA), Cincinnati Reds

This is a dreadful matchup that I wouldn't want my worst enemy to watch, but hey, there is still value in betting even the worst games. Washington is terrible, there is no denying that, but they at least should be able to do something against Cincinnati. The Reds are a total dumpster fire, and just about every night they send a guy out to the mound that is simply unqualified to be there in a major league park. Justin Dunn, Mike Minor and now we have Luis Cessa. Every one of those dudes has an ERA over 5.00, and not one of them is a promising youngster.

It appears Cincinnati wants Cessa to be a starter, even though he is a relief pitcher, because they have no other options to turn to. His last start certainly didn't go as planned, as he was lifted after two innings and took the loss after surrendering two earned runs on three hits, including two solo home runs, and a walk while striking out three. Cessa had only 41 pitches in the outing, so he shouldn't be expected to work deep into this start even if he finds more success this time around.

Stop me if you have heard this before: The New York Mets vs. a terrible pitcher is almost an automatic play in my book. I have bragged so much about the team that you would think I am actually a fan of them, but alas, this poor guy is from Chicago. New York has the talent and skill to make a deep run in the postseason, with a hard-hitting offense and some excellent pitching. The depth is there, and the manager is actually competent, which is hard to find these days. They don't always have great games, but against bad starters on the hill, they seem to always turn on the gas and cook up some winning wagers. They get Kyle Freeland in this one, and he fits that criteria.

In his last start, Freeland did not factor into the decision, allowing six runs (five earned) on seven hits and three walks over 6.1 innings against the Giants. He struck out five. This was the eighth time that Freeland has allowed five or more runs this season, and his 4.93 ERA is his worst since 2019. He's also been a guy on this list frequently, so it's green light go for me.