Yankees vs Rays Series Preview: Rays Aim to Compound Yankees’ Misery

Tampa Bay Eager to Add to American League-Leading Home Win Total

So much for the New York Yankees going into the series with division rival Tampa Bay with any amount of momentum.

The Yankees just ended a nine-game losing streak by beating the Washington Nationals before dropping the final game of the series on Thursday. When looking at the Yankees vs Rays series preview, Tampa Bay is favored in the series opener despite the Yankees turning to ace Gerrit Cole. The Rays are priced at -160 to win the series.

When looking at the 2023 MLB standings, the Rays are just two games in back of first place Baltimore in the American League East standings with the Yankees 18 games back.

Tampa Bay leads the American League with 43 home wins with the Yankees just 25-33 on the road.

A quick look at the MLB schedules shows that Tampa Bay has won six of the 10 meetings with the Yankees this season. Six of the last eight meetings finished over the total.

The Rays (+1000) come in fifth in the odds to win the World Series. The Yankees are well back at +50000 in the championship odds.

Probable Starting Pitchers

• Friday: Gerrit Cole (Yankees) vs Zach Eflin (Rays)
• Saturday: Cole Schmidt (Yankees) vs Tyler Glasnow (Rays)
• Sunday: Carlos Rodon (Yankees) vs Zack Littell (Rays)

Yankees Tend To Fold ‘Em When Ace Starts

The Yankees won the first seven games started by Gerrit Cole this season. Since then they are 8-11 when Cole pitches and that plays a role in the Yankees vs Rays series preview.

Cole allowed a season-high six runs in his last start and gave up two home runs in a game for the first time since late May. He had allowed two runs or less in six of the previous seven starts. However, the Yankees have been held to one run or less in three of the last five games when Cole has started.

Cole, who will pitch in Friday’s series opener, is 1-0 with a 4.76 ERA in three games against Tampa Bay this season. He has allowed five home runs and struck out 18 in 17 innings.

Rays Figuring Things Out

Tampa Bay doesn’t have starting pitchers Shane McClanahan and Drew Rasmussen or shortstop Wander Franco and yet are back trending in the right direction.

The Rays looked like the best team in baseball at the beginning of the season before coming down to earth and falling into second place in the American League East Division.

Tampa Bay is 6-1 in the last seven games as they continue to put the pressure on first-place Baltimore. They have hit 15 home runs during that stretch with five of those games finishing over the total. Keep that in mind when looking at the Yankees vs Rays series preview.

Who’s Hot

• Shawn Armstrong, Tampa Bay Rays P: Armstrong gave up two hits and no runs with six strikeouts in 4.2 innings in his last three appearances.
• Osleivis Basabe, Tampa Bay Rays IF: Basabe is 10-for-22 19 with seven runs, three extra-base hits and seven RBIs in his last six games.
• Ian Hamilton, New York Yankees P: Hamilton has allowed four hits and no runs with nine strikeouts in 7.2 innings in his last three appearances.
• Aaron Judge, New York Yankees OF: Each of the last six hits by Judge have been home runs with all of them coming in the last six games. When looking at the MLB players stats, Judge is tied for fourth in the majors with eight home runs in August.

Who’s Not

• Harrison Bader, New York Yankees OF: Bader is 3-for-27 with 10 strikeouts in his last eight games.
• Jhony Brito, New York Yankees P: Brito has allowed 13 hits and nine runs in 9.2 innings over his last three appearances.
• Brandon Lowe, Tampa Bay Rays IF: Lowe is hitting .152 with 11 strikeouts in his last nine games.
• Erasmo Ramirez, Tampa Bay Rays P: Ramirez has surrendered 17 hits and 13 runs with eight strikeouts in 10.1 in his last four outings.

Yankees vs Rays Injury Update

Outfielder Billy McKinney landed on the injured list with back spasms for the Yankees. The Yankees are already without third baseman Josh Donaldson and first baseman Anthony Rizzo.

For the Rays, outfielder Manuel Margot is not expected to return until mid-September.

Yankees vs Rays Betting Preview

The teams are headed in opposite directions with the Rays 13-7 in August compared to a 6-15 record for the Yankees. Tampa Bay is hitting .292 with 30 home runs during that stretch with the Yankees posting a .231 batting average.

With Cole pitching for New York on Friday and Glasnow getting the call for Tampa Bay on Saturday, runs might be hard to come by in the first couple of games in the series. With a total of seven for the series opener, plenty of the early money has been coming in on the over. Keep in mind that 39 of the home games for Tampa Bay have landed over the total this season.

The Rays are 20-14 versus American League East teams this season compared to a 15-24 mark for the Yankees.

Tampa Bay is 18-7 versus left-handed starters this season and that is something to remember when Carlos Rodon starts in the series finale.

The teams are a combined 108-70 when listed as the favorite this season compared to 25-39 as the underdogs.

For MLB betting news, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.

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