MLB Odds –Tampa Bay Rays at New York Yankees Game Preview

MLB Rays at Yankees preview Odds

After a couple series against National League teams, the New York Yankees return to the American League and their own division to host the Tampa Bay Rays in the first of four on Thursday night in the Bronx. The Yankees continue to breeze through their competition, sitting on top of baseball with a .689 winning percentage. Both the Yankees and Rays haven’t announced their starter for the game, each juggling injuries in the rotation.

First pitch for the game between the Yankees and Rays is scheduled for Thursday, June 14, 2018, at 7:05 p.m. ET at Yankee Stadium. The matchup will be shown on Fox Sports 1.

You can bet on MLB odds at BookMaker.eu every day of the season.

Odds Analysis

The Rays and Yankees—thanks to rain—have only played two games this season, but the Bronx Bombers have already scored 18 runs against Tampa Bay. The Rays only plated six in those two games against the Yankees.

It’s no surprise the Yankee offense exploded against the Rays, they can make even the best pitching staffs look bad.

New York is the best offense in baseball, bar none. The Yankees have a .795 team OPS and 103 home runs. Their .252 team average is good, but their .333 team OBP is first in the AL.

The Yankees have as balanced of an offense as there is in the game. The first base position has been an issue, but Tyler Austin and Greg Bird are both good young players even if the averages for each remain low. Neil Walker is a proven vet though with a .212 average, he’s not providing much production either.

Aside from first, the rest of the order is stacked with above average talent. Gary Sanchez is hitting .190 behind the plate with a .291 OBP, but he’s still hit 12 homers and driven in 35. He can be pitched to and a good starter can get him out right now, but if a pitcher misses, he’s still very dangerous.

Speaking of dangerous, the heart of the order is exactly that with Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge though with Sanchez’s holes and Didi Gregorius still slumping after his red-hot April, the Yankees do have some questions throughout the order. Still, those questions pale in comparison to most teams, especially when they can send players like Brandon Drury and Clint Frazier to the minors thanks to youngsters like Miguel Andujar and Gleybar Torres stealing the show.

For the Rays, the offense has 40 fewer home runs than the Yankees and aren’t scoring nearly as many runs. Nevertheless, Tampa Bay’s .325 OBP still ranks them rather high in the AL. This is a different offense than the all-or-nothing one of 2017. Now, they’re all about OBP and speed. It’s produced slightly better results.

With the trades of Denard Span and Brad Miller, the Rays have stripped themselves of two players with above average OPS+ numbers, but have replaced them with the young Jake Bauers and more playing time for Johnny Fields.

The Rays are going young and some of the youngsters are coming up big. The Rays don’t have the big boppers of the Yankees, but this team can manufacture runs and has a lot of good—though not great—hitters.

Probable Pitchers

If not for injury, Masahiro Tanaka would probably be in line to make this start but with the righty on the DL, the Yankees are likely to start Domingo German who will be pitching on normal rest thanks to the off day in the schedule.

The 25-year old right-hander is only in the rotation because of the injury to Jordan Montgomery and hasn’t exactly been a bright spot for New York.

German had seven good relief appearances for the Yankees last year and made five appearances out of the pen this year, but is 0-4 with a 5.32 ERA and 1.268 WHIP overall in his 47.1 big league innings.

Three of German’s losses have come as a member of the rotation. He’s made six starts and has just two quality starts in that time. He tossed six shutout innings against Cleveland in his first start and struggled in his next four starts to the tune of 20 runs in 21 innings. His last start, however, was much better. Against the Mets, German went six innings, allowing three runs.

Of course, with the Mets struggling offensively, a quality start against them was hardly a major accomplishment. The Yankees are a stacked team, but the pitching is worrisome now. New York needs German to have a good game, but he hasn’t been reliable to this point in the season.

While the Yankees are going with one of their worst starting options, the Rays are turning to one of their best.

Blake Snell is in line to make the start on Thursday. The young southpaw is having a great season. He’s 8-3 with a 2.30 ERA and 0.984 WHIP. He’s made 14 starts and has thrown 82.1 innings. He’s improved his strikeout rate to 9.7 from 8.3 last year and has dropped his walks to 2.7 per nine innings compared to his 4.1 a year ago.

The improved control is a major part of Snell’s growth. Of course, he’s also inducing a lot more weak contact. According to BABIP and FIP, Snell has gotten lucky, too. Still, his FIP is 3.31. It’s a run higher than his ERA, but still a very strong number. In fact, the lefty has a good shot of being named to the AL All-Star team if he keeps up the pace.

While the matchup looks favorable to the Rays, Snell did face the Yankees earlier this year and allowed five runs in 3.1 innings. He’ll look to overcome that on Thursday, building off a four-game streak where he’s allowed just one earned run over 23.2 innings pitched with 14 hits and six walks.

Live Betting

The Rays’ pitching staff is decimated by injuries, primarily to the starters, but that’s forced Tampa Bay to do some interesting things, including starting relievers and juggling the staff.

The pen is still a bit of a question for Tampa Bay. Without Alex Colome, the Rays no longer have a set closer. Jose Alvarado, Chaz Roe and Sergio Romo are all getting looks while Kevin Cash is committed to calling on relievers at any point in the game. This mentality can have a negative effect on bullpen arms that are used to knowing their role. So far, the mixing and matching has yielded mixed results.

The Yankees bullpen, on the other hand, is a much more established bunch. The pen remains relatively healthy which is important given the woes in the rotation.

New York’s pen is one of the deepest in the game. The unit can lock down the later innings, but even the middle relievers are dangerous. A.J. Cole, Jonathan Holder and Adam Warren have all been excellent.

If this game boils down to the bullpens, the Yankees have the advantage. Really, the one thing Tampa Bay has in this game is Snell. Is that enough to capture a win.

MLB Pick

It’s hard to sweep a four game series, even for a Yankees team playing a sub-.500 Rays team. Tampa Bay will win one of the games and the series opener seems as good as any.

Look for Snell to pitch better on Thursday than he did against the Yankees back in April. Snell is pitching exceptionally well right now and while he’s likely to give up a couple runs for the first time in several weeks, he should be able to hold the Yankees to just a few runs over six solid innings. From there, the bullpen may surrender another run or two, but the Rays should hold on.

Tampa Bay will be given a chance to score against German. The youngster had a good start last time, but the Mets aren’t hitting at all right now. Meanwhile, the Rays’ don’t have power, but they can string together hits.

Look for the Rays to stick it to German and grab an early lead, doing just enough to hold it.

MLB Odds: Rays 6, Yankees 5

Load your betting bankroll from your smartphone with BookMaker’s new cashier feature! Depositing and withdrawing funds from your account has never been easier. BookMaker's live betting platform means you always have access to odds and lines to every sporting event. Click here and start wagering today!

Back to Top