The New York Yankees will begin a three-game series with the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday at Tropicana Field. We're here to share our MLB odds series, make a Yankees-Rays prediction, and pick while showing you how to watch.

The Yankees are riding high early in the season. Going into Thursday's action with the Houston Astros, they were 25-13. The Yanks started the month with a 6-1 mark. Now, they hope to continue their momentum.

The Rays are middling at 19-19. Ultimately, they won two of three against the Chicago White Sox. But they lost the last game, which snapped a five-game winning streak. Overall, they are 5-2 in May.

The Yankees lead the season series 2-1 after playing the Rays in the Bronx last month. Subsequently, they hope to continue to build on that as they play the Rays at Tropicana.

Clarke Schmidt starts for the Yankees. He is 3-1 with a 3.50 ERA. Recently, he went five innings while allowing three earned runs on four hits while striking out seven in a win over the Detroit Tigers.

Zack Littell starts for the Rays. He is 1-2 with a 3.00 ERA. Ultimately, he tossed six innings while allowing one earned run on six hits while striking out seven in a no-decision against the New York Mets in his last outing.

Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

MLB Odds: Yankees-Rays Odds

New York Yankees: -1.5 (+105)

Moneyline: -148

Tampa Bay Rays: +1.5 (-126)

Moneyline: +126

Over: 8.5 (-112)

Under: 8.5 (-108)

How to Watch Yankees vs. Rays

Time: 6:50 PM ET/3:50 PM PT

TV: YES Network and Bally Sports Sun

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why The Yankees Will Cover The Spread/Win

The Yankees are better this season because their offense has improved. Significantly, the Yanks are eighth in batting average. New York is also second in on-base percentage, showcasing their ability to get on base. Also, the Yankees are sixth in runs and slugging percentage. The Yankees are again crushing the baseball, ranking fourth in home runs. Thus, their hitters are doing a solid job.

Anthony Volpe is doing solid work in the leadoff spot, hitting .252 with four home runs, 16 RBIs, and 26 runs. Significantly, he is 1 for 2 with one home run, two RBIs, and a walk against Littell in his career. Juan Soto has been amazing in his time in the Bronx, currently batting .338 with nine home runs, 33 RBIs, and 26 runs. Curiously, he has two walks in his only appearances against Littell.

Aaron Judge is hitting .236 with eight home runs, 24 RBIs, and 18 runs. Unfortunately, he struggled in his last showdown with Littell, going 0 for 3 with two strikeouts. Anthony Rizzo is batting .264 with six home runs, 20 RBIs, and 18 runs. Moreover, he has also struggled against Littell, going 0 for 3 in his only plate appearances.

The Yankees are second in team ERA, showcasing how good this pitching staff is, even without Gerrit Cole. Additionally, they have the best bullpen in the majors.

The Yankees will cover the spread if they can find ways to get some hits early and build a lead. Then, they need Schmidt to pitch well.

Why The Rays Will Cover The Spread/Win

The Rays are playing inconsistent baseball. So far, they are 11th in batting average and 13th in on-base percentage. However, they are only 18th in runs, 24th in home runs, and 22nd in slugging percentage. The hitters are not getting the job done.

Yandy Diaz is hitting only .228 with just one home run, 16 RBIs, and 14 runs. Yet, he is 3 for 9 with two RBIs and one double against Schmidt. It may help that Josh Lowe is back. Unfortunately, he was out with an injury for the first month of the season. Lowe is hitting .300 (3 for 10) through his first three games. Moreover, he is 1 for 5 with two strikeouts in his career against Schmidt.

Randy Arozarena has struggled mightily this season. Sadly, he is batting just .147 with six home runs, 13 RBIs, and 16 runs. Even worse, he is just 2 for 14 with one RBI and a double with three strikeouts in his career against Schmidt. Harold Ramirez is batting .291 with one home run, 12 RBIs, and 16 runs this season. Yet, he is 3 for 10 with an RBI and a double in his career against Schmidt.

The pitching staff has struggled this season. Unfortunately, they are 23rd in team ERA. The bullpen is also awful, ranking 27th in team ERA. Thus, it has become an issue for them throughout the first month.

The Rays will cover the spread if their lineup can find ways to get some runs across the board. Then, they need their pitching staff to avoid making mistakes against Judge and Soto.

Final Yankees-Rays Prediction & Pick

Both teams have good offenses. However, the pitchers that will start in this game look amazing. The Yankees and Rays often play exciting games. In fact, one of their three games last month went under the eight-run spread. Schmidt allowed just one earned run against the Rays. We expect this to happen again. Furthermore. We believe that Littell will also continue to pitch well against one of the most dangerous lineups in baseball. The under hits.

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Final Yankees-Rays Prediction & Pick: Under 8.5 (-108)