The Tampa Bay Rays (29-9) take one of the best lineups in MLB on the road to face the New York Yankees (21-17) at Yankee Stadium on Thursday to open a four-game series. The Rays are in the midst of a 10-game road trip.
They won only one out of three in their last series against the Orioles, dropping the finale 2-1 on Wednesday at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Wander Franco was 1 for 3 with one RBI, stretching his on-base streak to 10 games.
The Yankees are in the midst of a seven-game homestand. They are coming off a three-game sweep of the Athletics, taking the finale 11-3 on Wednesday at Yankee Stadium. Aaron Judge went 3 for 4 with a double and two runs.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
The Rays have won two of three in the season series between the AL East rivals, including an 8-7 victory in 10 innings in their most recent meeting on Sunday at Tropicana Field. Reliever Jalen Beeks threw 0.1 scoreless innings to get the win.
ON THE MOUND
Drew Rasmussen (3-2, 3.11 ERA) is set to start for Tampa Bay. The RHP matches up against the Yankees for the second successive start. On Saturday, he threw 5.2 scoreless innings, a 3-2 road defeat. He yielded two hits while striking out six and walking two in the no-decision.
Righty Domingo German (2-2, 4.35 ERA) gets the start for New York. His only prior start against the Rays this season was his last outing, when German gave up two runs over five innings in a 3-2 road win on Saturday. He gave up four hits and walked two, while striking out five in the no-decision.
AT THE PLATE
The Tampa Bay offense is averaging 6.1 runs per game for the season, second best in MLB, with a slash line of .272/.345/.509. Yandy Diaz leads the team in OPS at 1.007. The third baseman is slashing .317/.428/.579 with nine home runs, 19 RBIs, and 30 runs over 35 games.
Over the last five games, though, Tampa Bay has averaged only 3.2 runs a game while performing worse across the board (.241/.315/.386). Against right-handed pitchers like German this season, the Rays have an .837 OPS, highest in the league.
Diaz also is the team’s strongest performer against right-handers with a 1.085 OPS in 102 at-bats. New York is slashing .235/.307/.406 for the season and averaging 4.4 runs per game.
Four Yankees hitters have an OPS of .800 or better, led by Judge (.880). The right fielder has six home runs, 16 RBIs, and 21 runs scored with a slash line of .273/.364/.515.
New York is averaging 7.6 runs per game in the last five with a better slash line (.277/.362/.561). The Yanks have a .704 OPS against right-handers in 2023. With a .975 OPS over 77 at-bats, Judge also has been their best hitter against right-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Tampa Bay is 10-6 on the road in 2023, scoring 6.2 runs per game while allowing 3.6 runs. New York has won five in a row at Yankee Stadium. The Yanks are 14-8 at home this season, averaging 4.5 runs per game while surrendering 3.2.
In the last 10 games between the teams at Yankee Stadium, New York is 7-3 with an average scoreline of 4.0-2.9.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Rays lead the AL East by four games over the Orioles. The Yankees are fifth in the AL East, eight games behind the Rays.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
TB Rays (-115)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
