The Tampa Bay Rays will host the New York Yankees for the third and final time of this three-game set. It’s time to continue our MLB odds series and make a Yankees-Rays prediction and pick.
Tampa Bay has taken the first two games of this series despite being the underdog in both. The Rays have taken 12 of the last 15 head-to-head games against New York.
Here’s how sportsbooks have set the opening Yankees-Rays odds.
MLB Odds: Yankees-Rays Odds
New York Yankees -1.5 (+110)
Tampa Bay Rays +1.5 (-130)
Over 9 Runs (-105)
Under 9 Runs (-115)
Why The Yankees Could Cover The Spread
The New York Yankees have extremely high expectations in 2021 with the second-best odds of winning the World Series. New York is also heavily favored to win the AL East with one of the best lineups in baseball. The Yankees have significantly better odds than Tampa to take the division despite the Rays leading the way in 2020.
New York has gotten off to a disappointing start to the season with a 3-5 record. The Bronx Bombers have lost three-straight games and are looking to avoid the sweep in Tampa. The Yankees are currently 13th in the league in scoring at 4.3 runs per game and 11th in team batting average, hitting .248 on the young season. Aaron Judge is leading the way, hitting .364 with two long-balls and two RBI. Giancarlo Stanton and Gary Sanchez have each added two home runs of their own.
Jordon Montgomery will take the mound for the second time this season. Montgomery threw six shutout innings in the Yankees' 7-0 victory against Baltimore on Monday. He allowed four hits with no walks and struck out seven. Montgomery went 2-3 with a 5.11 ERA in 2020 and has a career ERA just over five against Tampa Bay. The Yankees' bullpen has been as good as advertised with the third-best ERA in baseball.
Why The Rays Could Cover The Spread
The Tampa Bay Rays are the second most likely team to win the AL East in 2021 behind the rival Yankees. The Rays offense is essentially the same as last year's, but the pitching rotation is expected to regress this season. They traded away the 2018 Cy Young award winner in Blake Snell and lost right-hander Charlie Morton to Atlanta in free agency. The Rays are 4-4 this season and have won the first two games of this series, 10-5 and 4-0.
Tampa Bay's offense is currently 14th in the league with 4.7 runs per game. Manuel Margot is leading the way in hitting with a .300 batting average. Austin Meadows has hit two homers and Joey Wendle has added a team-high seven RBI. The Rays have a young lineup full of pop in 2021.
Michael Wacha gets the nod for Tampa Bay in the series finale. Wacha went 1-4 with a 6.62 ERA in seven starts for the Mets in 2020. He threw five innings and allowed five runs in Monday's 11-2 loss against the Boston Red Sox. Michael is 0-1 with a 5.63 ERA in three career starts against the Yankees. The Rays bullpen has struggled this season with a 7.56 ERA, which is last in baseball.
Final Blue Yankees-Rays Prediction & Pick
Pitching will be the difference in this series finale between the Yankees and the Rays. New York will have the edge on the bump as Montgomery is expected to have a solid year and had a great start against an improved Baltimore Orioles lineup. Michael Wacha has struggled in recent history and doesn't have a good track record against New York. The Rays bullpen has been horrid and a close game late will almost always go the Yankees' way. Look for New York's offense to get back on track in a huge way to end this series.
FINAL PICK: New York Yankees ML (-135)
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