The Texas Rangers (69-54) begin a key series at New York on Tuesday at 7:05 PM EST against the league leading N.Y. Yankees (78-46). Texas lost two of three at Tampa Bay to start this brutal nine-game road trip but they are very much in the Wild Card picture, especially with Boston struggling. It won’t be easy at New York against a Yankees team that is 27-9 since the All-Star break. SBG Global reports that the early sports wagering lines sees the public taking the Yankees at home as a -200 favorite with a total 9.5 over -115.

August ushers in the dog days of summer, soaring temperatures and truly meaningful baseball games…finally. Sports bettors have been focused on baseball for months, as the daily baseball wagering lines have bettors grinding out the long season. But now the heat gets really turned up, as teams, fans and bettors begin to get serious. With the stretch drive on the horizon, these wins and losses have real implications for many teams. The Division and Wild-Card races are on.

The AL East, as usual, demands a ton of attention. Currently it looks like business as usual with the New York Yankees leading the division and the Boston Red Sox trying to chase them down (2.5-games back). Online sportsbook SportsBetting.com has the Yankees listed as the odds-on faves to win the division, pegged at -125, while the BoSox are +100 to do the same.

Guess which two teams start a four-game series?

Red Sox at Yankees:

Going into the opener at Yankee Stadium tonight, the hometown Yanks are listed at -175 while the visiting Boston Red Sox are +155 underdogs—the Total is set at 10.

Despite the AL East lead, the Yanks have struggled against the BoSox recently. In the last nine games overall between the two, the Yanks have yet to win, going 0-9 straight up. Total bettors take note as these two have combined for a mark of 1 over, 6 unders and 2 pushes in those nine games. The Yanks’ last 10 home games against Boston haven’t gone well either as they are 3-7 SU.

The Red Sox send veteran John Smoltz to the mound. Boston has not fared well in Smoltz’s starts, going 2-5 when he has taken the mound to start a game. The same can’t be said for the Yanks, who have Joba Chamberlain going for them. In his last nine home starts, the Yanks are an impressive 8-1 and 4-0 in his last four starts.

Early betting action has tilted to the Yankees, as SportsBetting.com is reporting 71% of all the action on New York.

Tonight, one of the hottest teams in baseball, the New York Yankees (29-21), will look to continue their dominance by taking down three out of four games from the Cleveland Indians (22-30). Joba Chamberlain gets the start for the Yankees. He is 2-1 on the season with a 3.97 ERA. He did not pitch well in his last outing at Texas, allowing three runs and four walks in four innings. "Plain and simple, I was terrible," he said. "I’ve got to do a better job of keeping the team in the game." SBG Global reports that the early MLB wagering lines see the public taking the Yankees on the road as a -170 favorite with a total 10 flat. Watch the Yankees battle the Indians live on ESPN at 7:05 PM EST.

New York won the first two games of this series before the Indians won 5-4 on Sunday as Jhonny Peralta’s had the game winning single in the bottom of The ninth. The Yankees walked two in the ninth before Peralta’s hit. "The walks hurt us," New York manager Joe Girardi said. "That’s the bottom line. Walks aren’t something you can’t afford in that situation." Mark Teixeira drove in all four runs for the Yankees, extending his hitting streak to 13 games. He is batting .400 during the streak.

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The Yankees lost for only the fourth time in their last 18 games on Sunday. They didn’t make an error on Sunday, tying the Major League record of 17 straight errorless games set by Boston in 2006.

Getting the start for Cleveland on Monday is Jeremy Sowers who is 1-2 with a 7.71 ERA. He lost his first two starts of the season but got a win in relief last Monday against Tampa Bay. He is 1-1 with a 6.60 ERA in his career against New York.

Take a look at the MLB wagering lines stats for tonight’s game. The Yankees are 4-0 in their last 4 road games vs. a left-handed starter. The Yankees are 5-1 in their last 6 games as a road favorite. The Yankees are 16-5 in their last 21 overall. The Yankees are 22-8 in their last 30 vs. the American League Central. The Yankees are 4-1 in the last 5 meetings in Cleveland. The Indians are 4-0 in their last 4 home games vs. a right-handed starter. The Indians are 9-4 in their last 13 games as a home underdog. The Indians are 1-4 in Sowers’ last 5 starts. The Under is 6-2-2 in the Yankees last 10 games vs. a left-handed starter. The Over is 7-3-1 in Chamberlain’s last 11 starts overall. The Under is 10-3 in the Indians last 13 home games vs. a right-handed starter. The Under is 7-3 in Sowers’ last 10 home starts. The Under is 6-1 in the last 7 meetings in Cleveland between the two teams.