Their two-year reign as AL East champs is likely coming to an end, but the Tampa Bay Rays won’t go down without a fight. They have a chance to at least make things interesting when they take on the division leading New York Yankees from the Bronx Tuesday on TBS. Their success against the Yankees the previous two seasons was a reason why the Rays captured the division crown. Over the 2020 and 2021 seasons Tampa won 19 of the 29 meetings. It’s been a different story this year with the Yanks having the upperhand taking seven of the first 10 head to head matchups, including five of the last six.
First pitch for this AL East contest between the Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees is set for 7:05 p.m. ET on Tuesday, August 16, 2022. The game will air live on TBS from Yankee Stadium. BookMaker.eu will have betting options for every game of the MLB season.
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Odds Analysis
Not only is their run of division titles about to end the Rays could see the playoffs slip through their grasp. They won just six of 17 games since July 23 falling into a tie with Baltimore for the third wild card spot. They continue to get strong pitching boasting the fourth-best staff ERA in the majors, but offense has been a concern all season. They’ve scored the fewest runs of any team with a winning record and their average of 4.08 runs has them ranked 22nd. Teams can overcome a low batting average and OPS by hitting home runs, but the Rays have difficulty doing that. They have just 99 homers through 110 games and they scored three runs or less in seven of their 10 meetings with the Yankees cashing the UNDER six times.
The Yankees are happy to be home after finishing up a nine-game road trip. And they’re looking to continue their strong play at Yankee Stadium that’s helped them forge the best home record in MLB. Despite losing their final two games to Seattle before the trip, the Yankees are 41-15 at home putting them up $663 on the moneyline. They endured a skid dropping 13 of their first 20 games after the All-Star break but they were still 30 games over .500 following consecutive losses to the Mariners. They were so good during the first half that some regression was expected.
And they silenced Tampa this year going 3-0 against them inside Yankee Stadium while allowing only four runs. The Bombers didn’t do much offensively scoring just eight runs in those games, but they did enough. And we should probably expect another close game between the clubs. Four of the last five meetings were decided by a single run and nine of the 10 confrontations were decided by two runs or less.
Probable Pitchers
With a solid season to date Jeffrey Springs (4-3, 2.50 ERA) has solidified a spot in Tampa’s rotation. And he’s in line to start facing the Yankees for the second time this year. His first seven appearances were all in relief giving up two hits without allowing a run over seven innings. Springs took a ND last time out giving up four hits and two runs in five innings in a game the Rays lost 4-3. He’s allowed two earned runs or less in nine of his 15 starts posting a 2.92 ERA and 1.15 WHIP with the Rays going 10-5 in those games. He made his first ever start and ninth appearance against the Yankees in May giving up five hits and two runs with six strikeouts and no walks over six frames in a 2-0 loss. Overall he’s pitched to 2.81 ERA with a 1.13 WHIP in 16 innings against the Yankees.
We don’t hear much about Nestor Cortes Jr. (9-3, 2.67 ERA) and the Cy Young Award any more. But if he pitched an entire season in Yankee Stadium he’d be a lock for the honor. In nine starts over 52.1 innings inside the Cathedral, Cortes is 4-0 with a 2.06 ERA and 0.94 WHIP. He’s allowed only three home runs in that span while averaging 10 strikeouts per 9 innings. He collected a win over Tampa in June giving up three hits and one run over 5.1 innings. He’s 2-1 in three starts this year against the Rays allowing 13 hits and six runs over 17.2 innings. Most of that damage came in his last start when he was touched for six hits, three homers and four runs in 4.1 innings of a 5-4 loss in Tampa on June 21.
Rays at Yankees MLB Odds Pick
Pitching and close games have dominated the season series and I don’t expect that to change. Both teams have strong bullpens allowing the starters to go all out for five or six innings. And Cortes has been unbeatable at home this season giving the Yankees the edge over a Rays squad that has trouble scoring.
MLB Odds Prediction: New York Yankees / UNDER
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