Free MLB Picks Today: New York Yankees vs Tampa Bay Rays 9/9/22

The New York Yankees (83-55), one of the best offenses in the league, are set to host the Tampa Bay Rays (77-58) at Yankee Stadium on Friday to open a three-game series. The Rays are playing their first of eight games on the road after closing out a successful six-game homestand (5-1). They are coming off a three-game sweep of the Red Sox, taking the finale 1-0 on Wednesday at Tropicana Field. Taylor Walls was 2 for 3 with a double and one RBI. The Yankees are in the midst of a seven-game homestand. They won three of four against the Twins in their last series, dropping the finale 4-3 on Thursday at Yankee Stadium. Miguel Andujar went 2 for 3 with a home run and two RBIs. Aaron Judge added a double and one run.

HEAD-TO-HEAD

The Yankees have won nine of 16 in the season series between the AL East rivals, including a 2-1 victory in their most recent meeting on Sunday at Tropicana Field. Frankie Montas threw five scoreless innings- striking out seven – to get the win, and Clay Holmes earned his 18th save.

ON THE MOUND

Drew Rasmussen (9-4, 2.77 ERA) is slated to start for Tampa Bay. The righty allowed one run over six innings in his last start, a 2-1 road win over the Marlins on August 31. He gave up four hits while striking out four in the no-decision. Rasmussen is making his first appearance against the Yankees this season. Rasmussen made one appearance against the Yankees in 2021, a 3-1 home loss on July 28. He allowed two hits over 2.1 scoreless innings, striking out three. For New York, right-hander Montas (5-11, 3.79 ERA) is on the mound. He has made three appearances against the Rays this season, all starts, giving up two runs (1 ER) over 18.1 innings (2-0, 0.49) with 19 strikeouts and one walk.

AT THE PLATE

The Tampa Bay offense is averaging 4.3 runs per game for the season, with a slash line of .242/.311/.384. Yandy Diaz leads the team in OPS at .816. The third baseman is slashing .288/.397/.419 with eight home runs, 51 RBIs, and 64 runs over 122 games. Over the last five games, however, Tampa Bay has averaged only 3.2 runs a game thanks in part to a worse on-base performance (.297). Against righties like Montas this season, the Rays have a .690 OPS. David Peralta is the team’s most productive hitter against right-handers with a .814 OPS in 318 at-bats. New York is slashing .237/.322/.422 for the season and averaging 4.9 runs per game, fourth best in the league. Judge leads the team with a 1.090 OPS. The right fielder has 55 home runs, 118 RBIs, and 111 runs scored with a slash line of .301/.407/.683. The Yanks have a .732 OPS against right-handers in 2022. With a 1.112 OPS over 368 at-bats, Judge also has been their best hitter against right-handers.

HOME AND AWAY

Tampa Bay is on a three-game winning streak in road games, bringing their record to 30-34 in 2022. The Rays have scored 4.3 runs per game away from home, while allowing 4.1 runs. New York has gone 48-21 at their home ballpark this season, averaging 5.0 runs per game while surrendering 3.3. The teams have split their last 10 games head-to-head at Yankee Stadium, though Tampa Bay has the scoring advantage with an average final margin of 4.3-2.5.