The New York Yankees (26-14) travel to face off against the Tampa Bay Rays (19-20) on Saturday, May 11th. This game will be played at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg and televised on BSSUN. The Yankees are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Rays are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Yankees. First pitch is set for 4:10 ET.
Yankees vs Rays
New York picked up a 2-0 win over the Rays in the most recent game of this series. The Yankees offense only had two more hits than the Rays and struck out nine times, but still picked up a win thanks to a good outing from Clarke Schmidt, who went 6 2/3 innings and didn’t give up a run.
Tampa Bay wasted a good outing from Taj Bradley, who gave up just one run in six innings of work. He did finish the game with seven strikeouts but issued two walks. As a team, the Rays struck out 11 times and went 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position.
In the Yankees’ half of the 1st inning, Anthony Rizzo hit a two-run homer, which turned out to be the game’s only scoring. Rizzo, Giancarlo Stanton, Jose Trevino, and Jon Berti each had two hits for New York’s offense.
The Yankees are 26-14 overall this season, putting them in 2nd place in the AL East. Currently, they trail the Orioles by just a half-game, and they are 7-7 in divisional matchups. The Yankees are playing well right now, as they have won seven of their last ten games.
At home, the Yankees are 13-6 this season, and they have gone 13-8 on the road. So far, they have been good as the favorite, putting up a mark of 19-10. As for their games as the underdog, the Yankees are 7-4 this year. The Yankees’ overall series record is 9-2-1, and they have won two straight series.
Despite their overall run line record of .500, the Yankees have been a profitable team to bet on the run line with a 12-9 record on the road. They have been an underdog in 11 of those games, and have covered in 8 of them.
On the season, the Yankees have an over/under record of 16-22, with an average over/under line of 8 runs. In games with an over/under line set at 8 runs, they have a record of 2-4. Overall, their games have averaged 8.1 runs per game. Their last two games have gone under the total, and on the season, 72.5% of their games have had higher over/under lines than today’s total of 8 runs.
Nestor Cortes Gets The Start For The Yankees
New York is sending Nestor Cortes to the mound today vs. the Rays, and he comes in with a record of 1-3 and ERA of 3.72. Cortes has made eight starts this year and has a WHIP of 1.03. In his last outing, he went 6 1/3 innings, giving up two earned runs, and had nine strikeouts vs. the Tigers. Cortes didn’t give up a homer in that outing. Before that, he had given up a homer in three straight starts. Cortes has made four home starts and four road starts, and his ERA on the road is 6.9 compared to 1.67 at home.
Yankees Offense Breakdown
While the Yankees have been a good home run hitting team this season, they have been even better at avoiding strikeouts, as they are 10th in the league in fewest strikeouts. As a team, they are batting .250, which is the 6th best mark in the league. New York’s offense is also 2nd in the league in walks and 2nd in on-base percentage.
Juan Soto has been the Yankees’ top hitter this season, as he is batting .325 with a league-leading 33 RBIs. Soto also has 9 homers, which is tied with Aaron Judge for the team lead. Judge has also been hot of late, going 10/26 in his last eight games with three home runs.
The Rays are 19-20 overall this season, and they trail the Orioles by seven games in the AL East. Currently, they are 4th in the division and have gone 3-5 in divisional games. Tampa Bay is looking to snap a two-game losing streak today, with the Yankees taking the first game of the series.
At home, the Rays are 13-11 this year and 6-9 on the road. So far, they have been the favorite in 29 of their games, going 14-15 in those matchups. As for their games as the underdog, they are 5-5. Tampa Bay’s overall series record is 5-5-2, and they have won two straight series.
When betting the run line, the Rays have been a better bet on the road this season, going 9-6 compared to 6-9 at home. The Rays’ overall run line record is 15-24, with an average run margin of -0.8 runs per game. They have been a better bet as the underdog, going 6-4 on the run line, compared to 9-20 as the favorite.
The Tampa Bay Rays have seen their last three games go under the total, and they have gone under in six of their last nine games. The Rays have gone over the total in 21 of their 39 games this season, and their games have averaged 8.7 runs per game. The over/under line for today’s game against the New York Yankees is set at 8 runs.
Zack Littell Gets The Start For The Rays
Zack Littell is getting the start for the Rays today and comes into the game with a record of 1-2 and ERA of 3.00. So far, he has made three quality starts and is averaging 9.69 strikeouts per nine innings. Littell’s most recent outing came against the Mets, where he finished with a no-decision after going six innings and giving up one earned run. Before that, he had lost two straight starts. Against the Tigers on April 22nd, he gave up five earned runs in six innings of work. Littell has only allowed three homers this season.
Rays Offense Breakdown
Isaac Paredes has been a bright spot for the Rays this season, as he is batting .293 with a team-high eight home runs. Paredes has also been swinging a hot bat of late, going 7/23 in his last seven games with one homer. Randy Arozarena is 2nd on the team with six homers, but he has struggled of late, going just 4/25 in his last seven games.
Overall, the Rays offense is averaging just 3.9 runs per game, which is 21st in the league. They are also near the bottom of the league in terms of team home runs and slugging percentage. As a team, they are batting .244, which is 10th in the league.
Yankees vs Rays Prediction
Our prediction for today’s Yankees vs. Rays game is to take the Rays on the money line, with the payout sitting at +107. We have the Rays winning this one by a score of 6-5.
Looking at the starting pitchers, Zack Littell is projected to finish with four strikeouts, which is second worst among all starters. As for Nestor Cortes, his strikeout projection is five, which has him in the middle of the pack.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.
Last updated:May 11, 2024 Rays, Yankees