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The New York Yankees head to Central Florida to start a three-game series with the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday. It's time to continue our MLB odds coverage with a Yankees-Rays prediction and pick.
The Yankees are 15-2 in June. Their offense is averaging 6.52 runs per game during that stretch while allowing 2.82 runs. The Yankees are coming off a series in which they took two of three games from the Toronto Blue Jays in Canada. Additionally, they are fresh off a homestand where they went 6-0. They swept the Rays last week and look to keep that momentum going.
The Rays lost two of three to the Baltimore Orioles on the road this weekend. Now, they return home hoping for better fortunes as they face off against the best team in baseball. It has not been the best June for Tampa Bay as they have gone 8-9. The Rays went 2-7 on their road trip, so coming home may provide a breath of fresh air for Tampa Bay. The Rays are 21-13 at Tropicana Field.
The Yankees continue to be the best team in baseball as they are 49-17. Meanwhile, the Rays are 36-30 and third in the AL East. The Rays are 13 games behind the Yankees for the lead in the division. Likewise, it means a wildcard spot is probably more realistic for the Rays if they hope to make the playoffs.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Yankees-Rays odds:
MLB odds: Yankees-Rays Odds
Yankees: -1.5 (+146)
Rays: +1.5 (-178)
Over: 6.5 (-112)
Under: 6.5 (-108)
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Why The Yankees Could Cover The Spread
The Yankees are on fire right now and not cooling down anytime soon. Also, it has been due to great hitting and excellent pitching. Gerrit Cole will take the hill for the Yankees. Cole is 6-1 with a 3.33 ERA for New York. He tossed six shutout innings in his last outing, allowing five hits with seven strikeouts. Moreover, that performance came against these Rays last week. Now, he faces the same lineup and looks to replicate the dominance. Cole has not allowed an earned run in two of his past three starts. He is 1-0 with a 0.75 ERA with 17 strikeouts in two starts against the Rays this season. Cole has plenty of offensive firepower behind him.
Anthony Rizzo is having a good June. He is batting .286 with seven home runs and 19 RBIs with 13 runs scored in 17 games this month. Likewise, Aaron Judge continues to produce. He has a .309 batting average with seven home runs, 12 RBIs, and 16 runs through 17 games. Gleyber Torres has chipped in, batting .320 with four home runs, eight RBIs, and 13 runs through 14 games.
The Yankees are ninth in batting average, second in on-base percentage, second in runs, first in home runs, and first in slugging percentage. Their firepower has no limits, and almost every hitter in their lineup is a threat to inflict damage. It helps when their pitching remains excellent. The Yankees have the fourth-best bullpen in baseball. When a starter leaves the game, their relievers come in and hold the fort. Thus, New York is comfortable in all situations. Their bullpen gets the job done a majority of the time and it is something few teams wish to face.
The Yankees will cover the spread if Cole continues his dominance of the Rays. Additionally, they cover if the bats remain hot. The Yankees have played out of this world and are unflappable right now.
Why The Rays Could Cover The Spread
The Rays are still a good team. However, they are also in the same division as the Yankees, which lessens their impact. The Rays will go with Shane McClanahan today. McClanahan is 7-3 with a 1.84 ERA. Likewise, he tossed six innings in his last start, allowing four runs (one earned) with seven strikeouts. McClanahan had that outing against the Yankees at Yankee Stadium. He has allowed two earned runs or fewer in eight straight games. Additionally, McClanahan has allowed one earned run or fewer in six of his past seven games. He is 1-1 with a 1.50 ERA and 14 strikeouts over two starts against the Yankees.
The offense has not been great. The Rays rank 23rd in batting average, 26th in on-base percentage, 24th in runs, 23rd in home runs, and 26th in slugging percentage. June has been mediocre for them, including Randy Arozarena. He is batting .234 with three home runs and 11 RBIs this month. The Rays need Arozarena and the rest of the lineup to pick up the pace.
The Rays will cover the spread if McClanahan dominates, and the Rays can get to Cole early. They must throw the ace off his game to have a chance in this one.
Final Yankees-Rays Prediction & Pick
The Yankees and Rays will both throw amazing pitchers on the mount. It usually spells an excellent pitcher's duel. It is what happened last week. Expect it to happen again.
Final Yankees-Rays Prediction & Pick: Under: 6.5 (-108)
