The New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays open up a three-game set at Tropicana Field on Tuesday night. It’s time to continue our MLB odds series and make a Yankees-Rays prediction and pick.
New York has been on a roller coaster lately as many of their key contributors are on the shelf and a team of misfits seems to be playing with a little life. Tampa Bay, on the other hand, has been playing phenomenal baseball over the past few weeks. The Rays are breathing down Boston's neck in the AL East and the Yankees have shifted their focus to the second wild card spot heading in.
Here’s how sportsbooks have set the opening Yankees-Rays odds.
MLB Odds: Yankees-Rays Odds
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New York Yankees +1.5 (-150)
Tampa Bay Rays -1.5 (+130)
Over 8 Runs (-105)
Under 8 Runs (-115)
Why The Yankees Could Cover The Spread
The New York Yankees finally get their leader in Aaron Judge back for the series opener. The Yankees actually fared well without the slugger and if they had closed out the game against Boston on Sunday, we would be saying great things about this team right now. New York has won five of their last eight games, including three impressive wins against the rival Red Sox. They haven't been able to get over the hump against the Rays however and will need their offense to continue producing against a phenomenal pitching staff at home.
New York will turn to left-hander Jordan Montgomery for the series opener. Montgomery has been solid for the Yankees with a 3-5 record and 3.96 ERA through 19 starts. The southpaw has struck out 105 batters and has a 1.18 WHIP through 104.2 innings of work this season. Although he is 0-4 in his last seven starts, Montgomery has registered three-straight quality starts including a six-inning shutout against the Red Sox on July 22.
Why The Rays Could Cover The Spread
The Tampa Bay Rays were off on Monday night, which gave the Red Sox an opportunity to gain ground in the standings. The Rays sit just 1.5 games back of Boston in the AL East and have been red-hot of late. They have won five of their last six games to date and 11 of their last 14 games at home. Tampa is now 30-18 at Tropicana Field thanks to their elite pitching and defense. The Rays allow just 3.25 runs per game at home, which is the second-best mark in the Majors. They have had the Yankees number with 12 wins in their last 17 head-to-head matchup's at home.
Tampa Bay will hand the ball to left-hander Shane McClanahan for the series opener. McClanahan has been solid with a 4-3 record and 3.88 ERA through 14 starts. He has struck out an impressive 78 batters through just 65 innings of work this season. The rookie southpaw has been strong of late, allowing just one run in two-straight starts coming in. He will be making his second-career start against the New York Yankees on Tuesday night.
Final Yankees-Rays Prediction & Pick
I see great value in this total as both offense have been performing well of late. New York has scored at least four runs in six of their last eight games. Tampa Bay scored a combined 25 runs over their previous four-game series against the Indians over the weekend. Both clubs have been involved in under's lately, which leads me to believe that the market is making adjustments that benefit us. There will be a short window to jump on lower totals with these teams.
FINAL YANKEES-RAYS PREDICTION AND PICK: Over 8 Runs (-105)
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