It’s a bullpen day for the Tampa Bay Rays as they send Ryne Stanek to the hill first and they are 6-3 in his starts and are -150 favorites in the second of a three-game set with the visiting New York Yankees who are coming back at +130. CC Sabathia gets the ball for the Yankees and they are 4-1 in his trips to the mound and tonight’s total has opened at 8 runs.
Standout Stats
- Tampa Bay is 9-6 SU and ATS in its last 15 games and more recently is 4-3 SU and ATS in its last seven. The Rays are 11-9 at home this season.
- New York is 9-4 SU and 8-5 ATS in its last 13 matches and more recently it is 5-1 SU and 4-2 ATS over its last six. The Pinstripes are 10-6 in road games this year.
- The total has gone OVER in 10 of New York’s last 16 games with an average combined score of 9.31. Meanwhile, the total has gone UNDER in eight of Tampa Bay’s last 14 games with an average combined score of 7.5.
- The Yankees have won four of CC Sabathia’s five starts this season and he is 2-1 with a 3.20 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP. He has yet to record a quality start, failing to pitch six innings in any start but has had two scoreless performances.
- He is averaging 2.13 HR/9 which is the highest rate in his career and is allowing 3.20 BB/9 which is the highest rate since 2016. Tampa Bay has hit the fifth-fewest home runs vs southpaws this season.
- Sabathia also has the highest percentage of soft-hit batted balls in his career as well as the highest percentage of hard-hit batted balls in his career. The Rays have the seventh-lowest percentage of soft-hit batted balls vs LHP in 2019.
- His cutter and slider usage are the highest it has been in his career, while his changeup is the lowest.
- The Rays are 6-3 over Ryne Stanek’s nine starts this season and he is 0-1 with a 1.98 ERA and a 0.732 WHIP in those outings. However, he only averages 1.46 innings pitched in his starts having not thrown more than two innings in an appearance.
- He is averaging the lowest K/9, BB/9 and HR/9 rates in his career and also has his highest LOB%.
- Stanek has the second-highest percentage of hard-hit batted balls in his career at 42.9 percent.
- This is a bullpen day and the Rays have the best bullpen ERA in the majors at just 2.88. More recently, that ERA has fallen to 2.63 through the first 10 days of May.
- Tampa Bay is 7-3 against left-handed starter this season, ranking 19th in batting average and 20th in runs scored vs LHP. Meanwhile, New York is 19-12 against right-handed starters, with the eighth-best batting average, and has scored the sixth-most runs vs RHP.
My Best Bet for New York vs Tampa Bay
New York Moneyline
Tampa Bay ranks 20th in runs scored vs southpaws this season, while New York has been hitting well against righties scoring the sixth-most runs. The Rays have the best bullpen in the majors and this is a bullpen day, but that always comes with some risk as you are expecting each guy to be on their A game and typically there’s someone that is just a little off that day. Additionally, Sabathia has been pretty good this year, but the long ball has hurt him. That being said, Tampa Bay has hit the fifth-fewest home runs vs LHP this season.
