Rays vs Yankees Picks & Odds: New York Looks To Slow Down Red-Hot Tampa Bay

The New York Yankees (83-55) and Tampa Bay Rays (77-58) collide at Yankee Stadium on Friday as the clubs open up a three-game set. The Yankees are 4-1 in their last five games while the Rays are 8-1 in their last nine contests. Find out which team will stay hot in our Rays vs Yankees prediction.

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Rays vs Yankees Sportsbook Odds

The Yankees opened as a very slight favorite at -115 on the moneyline with the Rays coming in at -108 in what’s essentially a pick‘em. The total was set at 7.5 runs with the UNDER going 10-5 in the last 15 meetings between the two clubs. New York is 6-1 in its last seven home games, giving the hosts the edge in our Rays vs Yankees prediction.

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Starting Pitchers 

Frankie Montas (5-11) snapped a five-game winless streak with a victory in his last outing as he pitched five scoreless innings against the Rays on September 4. Montas has a 3.79 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP over 135.1 innings.

Drew Rasmussen (9-4) was excellent in his last start as he scattered four hits and one earned run over six innings against the Miami Marlins on August 31. The right-hander owns a 2.70 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP through 116.2 innings this season.

Rays Shut Out Red Sox To Complete Sweep

The Rays earned a sweep over the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday thanks to a 1-0 victory. Taylor Walls knocked in the lone run of the contest with an RBI single in the fifth while the clubs combined for just 10 hits in the ball game.

Tampa Bay has benefited from some excellent pitching over its current hot streak. The club is allowing just 1.89 runs per game over its last nine games – a span that includes two shutouts.

Yankees’ Win Streak Snapped By Twins

New York had its four-game win streak ended on Thursday, falling 4-3 to the Minnesota Twins. Miguel Andujar hit a two-run homer and Aaron Judge scored New York’s third run on a wild pitch as the Yankees managed just three runs on 10 hits.

After sputtering through most of August, the Yankees have seemed to finally turn the corner, going 10-7 over their last 17 outings. Judge has been hot as usual with a .435 average, four homers and five RBIs over the last week, while Isiah Kiner-Falefa has also stepped up with a team-leading six RBIs over that span.

Rays Player Prop: Rasmussen OVER 5 Ks (+117)

Rasmussen has had at least seven strikeouts in three of his last four outings and is averaging just under one whiff per inning this season. If the Rays starter goes at least five or six innings, getting him at +117 for five strikeouts seems like an easy bet.

Yankees Player Prop: Judge To Hit A Home Run (+200)

Judge had a four-game home run streak earlier this week, bumping his MLB-leading total up to 55 – 19 more than Philadelphia’s Kyle Schwarber, who sits in second. Judge is +200 to hit another bomb tonight – not bad odds for a guy who’s been hot. 

Rays: Keys To Win

Pitching has been the difference for Tampa Bay over its current hot streak and it will have to be a big factor against the always dangerous Yankees. Rasmussen allowed just six earned runs over 34.1 innings in August – a 1.57 ERA over that span. If he’s on his A-game again, the Rays should earn the win.

Yankees: Keys To Win

The Yankees will need to find a way to get to Rasmussen and that starts with their big bats. We know Judge will show up but New York needs more from guys like Giancarlo Stanton and Gleyber Torres – Stanton has gone 10 games without an RBI while Torres has just three RBIs over his last 13 games. If the Yankees can get some offense outside of Judge, they’ll have a shot.

MLB Computer Pick: Rays -105 ML

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