Tampa Bay Rays vs New York Yankees Preview
The Yankees and Rays are set to face off in an AL East matchup at 6:50 PM ET. This one is being played at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, and the Yankees are favored on the money line, with their line sitting at -120 compared to the Rays at +102. The over/under line is at 8 runs.
Thursday’s pitching matchup features Nestor Cortes for the Yankees and Shane Baz for the Rays. New York is currently 56-38 and 2nd in the AL East, while the Rays are 4th at 45-47.
Check out BetCoco for Tampa Bay Rays – New York Yankees odds
Tampa Bay Rays Trends and Key Stats
- Across their last five road games, the Yankees are 3-2. This includes going 2-3 vs. the runline.
- On the opposing side, the Rays have a 1-4 (SU) record, along with a 1-4 record in their last five home contests.
- The Yankees have a 3-7 straight-up record in their last ten games as the favorite, and 2-8 against the runline.
- As the underdog, the Rays have gone 5-5 vs. the runline and 5-5 straight-up.
New York picked up a 2-1 road win over the Rays in the most recent game of this series. The Yankees had a one-run lead going into the 5th inning, and both offenses went silent after that. Heading into the game, the Yankees were at +103 on the money line.
Tampa Bay wasted a good outing from Zach Eflin, as he gave up just one run in seven innings of work for the Rays. Tim Hill got the win out of the bullpen for the Yankees, and Clay Holmes got the save.
Marcus Stroman only went 4 1/3 innings for the Yankees but gave up just one run and two hits. He finished with just two strikeouts and allowed two walks. On the other side, Eflin had a good outing for the Rays, giving up one run on four hits.
Tampa Bay Rays vs New York Yankees Prediction
With a record of 56-38, the Yankees are 2 games behind the Orioles for the AL East lead. New York will be on the road today, facing the Rays, and they are 31-19 on the road this year. At home, the Yankees have gone 25-19. So far, they are just 14-17 against other AL East teams.
The Yankees were able to snap a seven-game losing streak in the first game of this series vs. the Rays. New York is just 3-7 across their last 10 games. As the favorite, the Yankees are 43-32 this year and 19-15 as the favorite on the road. Their overall series record is 16-9-3 but have dropped two straight series.
When the Yankees win, they win big, with an average run margin of 4.1 runs per game. However, when they lose, they lose big, with an average run margin of -3.3 runs per game. They are 50-44 on the run line this season, with a +1.1 run differential overall. They are 29-21 on the run line on the road, where they have a +1.4 run differential.
The New York Yankees are on the road today against the Tampa Bay Rays. The over/under line for today’s game is set at 8 runs. The Yankees have played in 90 games this season, and their games have averaged 8.9 runs per game. Their over/under record is 48-42, and the average over/under line for their games is 8 runs. When the over/under line is set at 8 runs, their record is 7-9-2. This season, 63.8% of their games have had over/under lines set higher than 8 runs, while 17.0% have had lower lines.
New York is sending Nestor Cortes to the mound today vs. the Rays, and he comes in with a record of 4-7 and ERA of 3.40. So far, he has made 19 starts, and opponents are batting .231 this season. Cortes’ WHIP for the season is currently 1.08. In his last outing, Cortes finished with a no-decision, going six innings and giving up one earned run on three hits. Before that, he had lost three straight starts. Cortes’ ERA on the road is 5.86, compared to 1.88 at home.
Not only do the Yankees have the 2nd best scoring offense in the league this season, but they are also the top home run hitting team in the league. As a team, they are batting .247, which is 8th in the league, and they also lead the league in walks. Aaron Judge and Juan Soto have been two of the league’s top power hitters this season, with Judge leading the league with 32 homers and Soto’s 21 homers being 7th best in the league.
Over his last 10 games, Aaron Judge has gone 11/38 with two homers and four RBIs. Ben Rice has also been swinging a hot bat, going 10/38 with five homers in this stretch. Rice has also driven in 13 runs in his last 10 games. Giancarlo Stanton is currently on a 10-game hitting streak for the Yankees.
Tampa Bay is 45-47 overall, putting them 4th in the AL East, and they trail the Orioles by 12 games for the division lead. So far, they have gone just 11-18 in AL East matchups. The Rays have split the first two games of their series with the Yankees and are 4-6 across their last ten games.
At home, the Rays are 24-26 this year and an even 21-21 on the road. As the favorite, Tampa Bay is 26-25 and 19-22 as the underdog. The Rays’ overall series record is 15-11-2.
When betting the run line on the Rays, it’s been a mixed bag. They have a losing run line record overall, but they’ve been profitable on the run line on the road and as an underdog. Their average run margin is -0.7, but they’ve been able to cover the run line in games they win, as their average run margin in those games is 2.5.
The Tampa Bay Rays are playing host to the New York Yankees today, and the over/under line for the game is set at 8 runs. The Rays have been involved in high-scoring games this season, as their combined run average is 8.7 runs per game. Overall, their over/under record is 44-43, and when the line is set at 8 runs, their record is 10-13-1. So far this season, 40.2% of their games have had over/under lines set above 8 runs, while 33.7% have had lines set below 8 runs.
Shane Baz will be making his second start of the season for the Rays, and this time he’ll be at home against the Yankees. In his first start of the season, Baz took a loss to the Rangers, giving up 3 earned runs in 6 innings of work.
Isaac Paredes has been a bright spot for the Rays this season, as he leads the team with 15 home runs and is batting .265. However, he has struggled a bit of late, hitting just .226 over his last nine games. Yandy Diaz is on a four-game hitting streak and is batting .269 for the season with eight homers. Randy Arozarena has also gone deep 11 times this season but is batting just .203.
For the season, the Rays are averaging just 4 runs per game, which is 26th in the league. They have been even worse at home, averaging only 3.8 runs per contest. As a team, they are batting .235 and have the 19th ranked slugging percentage in the league.
Our predicted score for this Yankees vs. Rays matchup is 6-5 in favor of the Rays. With the Rays’ money line sitting at +102, we see this as a great value pick and would recommend getting your bets in now before the line moves.
Looking at the starting pitchers, we do not have either Nestor Cortes or Shane Baz going deep into this game, with both projected to go around four innings. If you’re looking for a strikeout prop, Cortes is projected to finish with seven, while Baz is at five.
Tampa Bay Rays vs New York Yankees Betting Tips
- Take the Yankees on the moneyline
- On the run line we like Rays (+1.5)
- Projecting a combined 11 runs, we like the over
Tampa Bay Rays Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Wander Franco | Out | Personal |
| Drew Rasmussen | Out | Arm |
| Richard Lovelady | Out | Forearm |
| Jeffrey Springs | Out | Elbow |
| Shane McClanahan | Out | Elbow |
| Jacob Waguespack | Out | Shoulder |
New York Yankees Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Anthony Rizzo | Out | Arm |
| Giancarlo Stanton | Out | Hamstring |
| Tyler Lyons | Out | Personal |
| Nick Burdi | Out | Hip |
| Jon Berti | Out | Calf |
| Cody Poteet | Out | Tricep |
| Lou Trivino | Out | Elbow |
| Clarke Schmidt | Out | Lat |
| Jonathan Loáisiga | Out | Elbow |
| Ian Hamilton | Out | Lat |
| JT Brubaker | Out | Elbow |
| Scott Effross | Out | Back |
| Kenlly Montas | Out | Personal |
