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 |

Use promo code FREEMLB at either WagerTalk or Sportsmemo to collect one daily baseball picks package for FREE. This coupon expires at midnight on Tuesday, July 27.
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.
First Pitch Betting Guide
Each day during the MLB regular season, WagerTalk handicapper Ralph Michaels releases his First Pitch betting guide. The PDF download contains home-road splits, righty-lefty splits and a plethora of other useful betting information for that day’s starting pitcher matchup. To access the First Pitch guide, go to Ralph’s page (http://wt.buzz/rm) and find the link on the right side under Downloads. If you are already a WagerTalk user, sign into your account. If you’re not a WagerTalk subscriber, create a free account with just your email address. After you add the item to your cart, it will be available in your downloads.

WagerTalk Live Odds Screen
WagerTalk’s live odds screen features up-to-the-minute lines from a variety of offshore and domestic sports books. Track moneylines, runlines, team totals, first five lines and so much more from your desktop or phone.

**************************************************
Free sports picks allow you to monitor a handicapping service to see how they perform before signing up for a long term package. WagerTalk provides daily free predictions to our visitors so they can find a handicapper that is right for them.
Looking for more free sports picks and sports betting tips?
- Latest Betting Odds and Public Action: Vegas lines updated in real time, including who the public is betting on.
- Last-Minute Handicapping Advice: Check out our extensive library of handicapping tips and advice from professional Vegas handicappers (we also recommend taking the time to look over our sports betting tips video library)
- Want an expert opinion? Check out the latest Free Sports Picks and Best Bets from our team of expert sports handicappers.
Make sure to bookmark all the above!