Tampa Bay Rays vs New York Yankees Preview
The Yankees head into Friday night’s matchup vs. the Rays looking to pick up their 26th win of the season. They are currently 25-14 and are sending Clarke Schmidt to the mound vs. a Rays club that is 19-19 and starting Taj Bradley. First pitch from Tropicana Field is set for 6:50 PM ET. New York is the favorite on the money line, and the over/under line is at 8.5 runs.
Looking at the American League East standings, the Yankees are in second place, while the Rays are in fourth. This game can be seen on YES, and the Rays are 7-4 at home this season. If you’re looking to catch this one in person, you can head to St. Petersburg.
Check out BetCoco for Tampa Bay Rays – New York Yankees odds
Tampa Bay Rays Trends and Key Stats
- The Yankees are 2-3 in their five most recent road games, including a 2-3 runline record.
- The Rays, on the other hand, have played five home games recently, during which they have recorded a 1-4 (SU) and 0-5 record.
- The Yankees have a straight-up record of 7-3 in their last ten games as the favorite, with a runline record of 6-4.
- When playing as the underdog, the Rays have gone 3-7 against the runline, with a straight-up record of 4-6 over their last ten games.
Tampa Bay Rays vs New York Yankees Prediction
The Yankees will be looking to get back on track after closing out their series vs. the Astros with a 4-3 loss. New York was the heavy favorite at -152 at home going into the game but fell behind early, as the Astros scored three times in the first.
Marcus Stroman took the loss for the Yankees, going 5 2/3 innings and giving up four earned runs on nine hits. Anthony Volpe had only two hits, but one was a home run, and Aaron Judge had a good day at the plate, going 1/4 with a homer.
The Yankees are 25-14 overall and trail the Orioles by just a half-game for the AL East lead. New York is 6-7 in divisional games and won their series vs. the Astros 2-1. So far, they have been good as the favorite, going 18-10, and they are 7-4 as the underdog.
At home, the Yankees have gone 13-6 this year and are just above .500 at 12-8 on the road. New York has won two straight series and has an overall series record of 9-2-1 this year. Their record is 6-4 over their last 10 games.
The Yankees have been a solid bet on the run line this season, going 19-20 overall. They have been particularly good on the road, going 11-9 against the run line. They have an average run margin of 1.4 runs per game overall and a scoring margin of 1.3 runs per game on the road.
So far this season, the Yankees have played in 37 games, and their average combined run total is 8.3. Their over/under record is 16-21, and their average over/under line is 8. Today’s over/under line is set at 8.5, and in games with that line, their record is 10-8. Overall, 11 of their games have had higher over/under lines than today’s, while 10 have had lower lines.
Clarke Schmidt gets the start for the Yankees today as he faces the Rays on the road. So far, he has made seven starts and has a record of 3-1 with a 3.50 ERA. Looking at his overall numbers, Schmidt has a WHIP of 1.31 and opponents are batting .252 this season. In his 36 innings of work, he has a strikeouts per nine innings figure of 10.25 and has walked 3.25 batters per nine innings. The last time he pitched, Schmidt picked up the win, going five innings and giving up three earned runs on four hits. He did give up a homer in that outing.
Heading into today’s game, the Yankees are 3rd in home runs and are among the league leaders in batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging. Overall, they are averaging 4.8 runs per game, which is 11th in the league. One of their strengths has been their ability to draw walks, as they are 2nd in the league in that category.
Juan Soto has been the Yankees’ best hitter this season, batting .333 with a league-leading 33 RBIs. He also has nine homers, which is tied for the team lead with Aaron Judge. Judge has also been swinging a hot bat of late, going 11/35 in his last 10 games with three homers. Soto has also been hot, going 14/37 in his last 10 games with two homers.
The Rays will be looking to get back on track after closing out their series vs. the White Sox with a 4-1 loss. Tampa Bay was the heavy favorite at -267 going into the game but fell behind early, as the White Sox scored two runs in the 4th.
Aaron Civale got the start for the Rays and took the loss. He only lasted 4 2/3 innings, giving up two earned runs on five hits. The Rays also had just three hits, all of which were singles. Harold Ramirez scored their only run and went 2/4.
Tampa Bay is at an even 19-19 this season, and they are six games behind the Orioles for the AL East lead. The Rays are 3-4 in divisional games this year. They will be hosting the Yankees today with a home record of 13-10, and they are 6-9 on the road.
So far, the Rays have been favored in 29 of their games, and they are 14-15 in those matchups. As for their games as the underdog, the Rays have gone 5-4, including 3-1 as the home underdog. Tampa Bay has won two straight series and has an overall series record of 5-5-2 this year.
When the Rays win, they do so by an average of 2.5 runs per game, but when they lose, they lose by an average of 4.2 runs. Overall, they have a run differential of -0.8 runs per game. They are 15-23 against the run line this season, including a 9-14 mark at home and a 6-9 mark on the road. They are 9-20 against the run line as the favorite and 6-3 as the underdog.
The Tampa Bay Rays have had a combined run average of 8.9 runs per game this season, and their over/under record is 21-17. Their over/under record when the line is set at 8.5 runs is 6-9, and they have had a streak of two straight games going under the total. The Rays have had five games with over/under lines set at 8.5 runs this season, which accounts for just 13.2% of their games.
Getting the start for the Rays is right-hander Taj Bradley. Last season, Bradley made 23 appearances and 21 starts, finishing the year with a record of 5-8. His ERA for the season was 5.59, and he finished the year with a WHIP of 1.39. Bradley’s batting average allowed was .254, and his on-base percentage allowed was .313. For the season, Bradley gave up 23 home runs and finished the year with a K/BB ratio of 3.3.
Isaac Paredes has been one of the Rays’ top hitters this season, as he is batting .300 and leads the team with eight home runs. Paredes has also driven in 20 runs, which is 15th in the league. He has also been swinging a hot bat of late, going 7/20 in his last six games. Randy Arozarena is 2nd on the team in homers but is batting just .147 for the season and has gone 4/21 in his last six games.
Overall, the Rays are averaging 4.1 runs per game and are batting .244 as a team. They have been better at home, averaging 4.3 runs per contest. As a team, they are just 15th in home runs and have the 24th ranked scoring offense on the road. Currently, Harold Ramirez is on a three-game hitting streak and is batting .476 over his last six games.
With the Rays at +119, there is some good value in picking them up for the win. We have them taking this one 6-5, and with the money line payout, this is the route we would recommend going.
Looking at some of the projections, Clarke Schmidt is predicted to have a solid outing in terms of strikeouts, but we have him finishing with a loss. Offensively, we have the Yankees finishing with 8 hits compared to the Rays with nine.
Tampa Bay Rays vs New York Yankees Betting Tips
- Take the Yankees on the moneyline
- The Rays are also our pick on the run line at +1.5
- Projecting a combined 11 runs, we like the over
Tampa Bay Rays Injury Report
Player | Status | Injury |
---|---|---|
Chris Devenski | Out | Knee |
Brandon Lowe | Out | Oblique |
Wander Franco | Out | Personal |
Shane Baz | Out | Elbow/Oblique |
Drew Rasmussen | Out | Arm |
Taylor Walls | Out | Hip |
Jeffrey Springs | Out | Elbow |
Colin Poche | Out | Back |
Jonathan Aranda | Out | Finger |
Shane McClanahan | Out | Elbow |
Jacob Waguespack | Out | Shoulder |
Ryan Pepiot | Out | Lower Leg |
Pete Fairbanks | Out | Nerve |
New York Yankees Injury Report
Player | Status | Injury |
---|---|---|
Tommy Kahnle | Out | Shoulder |
DJ LeMahieu | Out | Foot |
Gerrit Cole | Out | Elbow |
Tyler Lyons | Out | Personal |
Nick Burdi | Out | Hip |
Lou Trivino | Out | Elbow |
Jonathan Loáisiga | Out | Elbow |
Oswald Peraza | Out | Shoulder |
JT Brubaker | Out | Elbow |
Scott Effross | Out | Back |
Jasson Domínguez | Out | Elbow |
Kenlly Montas | Out | Personal |