Yankees vs Rays Betting Preview
- The Tampa Bay Rays (60-40) will host the New York Yankees (51-47) at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg on Tuesday night at 7:10pm ET on the MLB Network.
- Lefty Shane McClanahan (4-3, 3.88 ERA) gets the call for the Rays, while the Yankees send Jordan Montgomery (3-5, 3.96 ERA) to the mound.
- At Circa Sports in Las Vegas, the Rays opened as a -155 favorite with the total at 8 runs (over -120 / under EV).
- The Rays are 19-9 against the Yankees since start of the 2020 season, including 8-5 this season.
| New York Yankees | +134 |
| Tampa Bay Rays | -144 |
| Over/Under | 8 (o -120 / u EV) |
| TV | MLB Network |
| Game Time | 7:10pm ET |
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The Bronx is Burning
The Major League Baseball trade deadline is on Friday, and these games against Tampa Bay will likely play a major factor into the Yankees’ intentions as that day approaches. On Monday, New York acquired relief pitcher Clay Holmes from the Pirates. First baseman Luke Voit, outfielder Aaron Judge and catcher Kyle Higashioka took batting practice at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa on Monday, but their status for the opening game of this series remains unknown.
Red-Hot Rays
Tampa Bay is 7-3 since the All-Star break and hold a 30-18 record at home. The Rays hold an eight-game lead over the Yankees in the AL East standings. The Rays are being careful with the 24-year-old McClanahan, but he’s made the most out of his appearances. In seven home starts, he’s 4-0 with a fastball that’s getting better as the season progresses.
The Pick
Tampa Bay does so many things well, but the one area where they do struggle is hitting lefties. The Rays are No. 28 in batting average (.226) and No. 26 in on-base percentage (.303) against lefties. Tampa Bay has had the most at-bats against lefty pitchers in Major League Baseball, so sample size definitely isn’t the problem.
Despite his struggles this season, Montgomery has fantastic numbers against this incarnation of the Rays. In 89 plate appearances, Tampa Bay’s current roster is hitting .200 against Montgomery with a 32-percent strikeout rate. Brandon Lowe, Brett Phillips and Joey Wendle are a combined 0-for-20 against Montgomery.
The Yankees are averaging 2.7 runs per game in their last seven games at The Trop and have been held to one run or fewer four times. Both teams had off on Monday, so both bullpens are fully rested. Tampa Bay is arguably the best team in baseball at utilizing its bullpen, and they will have all of their weapons available to follow McClanahan on Tuesday night. That Yankees bullpen isn’t too shabby either. Take the under 8 (EV) between the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays in Tuesday’s night’s AL East showdown.
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