Rays vs Yankees Picks and Odds – Sep. 1
By Chris Amberley in MLB Baseball
Updated: March 9, 2021 at 2:21 pm ESTPublished:
- The Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees clash on Tuesday (Sep. 1, 7:05 pm EST)
- Trevor Richards (0-0, 4.71 ERA) will start for the Rays, while the Yankees will counter with Masahiro Tanaka (0-1, 3.48 ERA)
- Read below for a preview and betting prediction for the game
The beasts of the AL East square off on Tuesday, as the Tampa Bay Rays visit the New York Yankees at 7:05 pm EST. Tampa Bay entered play Monday night with the AL’s best record (24-11) and a 3.5 game lead on New York atop the division.
Who needs a short porch, when you hit it to the second deck? pic.twitter.com/H6i5PWdEQA
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) August 31, 2020
The Rays have won five straight and eight of their last 10, and are 6-1 versus the Yankees this season.
Rays vs Yankees Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Runline | Total at FanDuel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tampa Bay Rays | +126 | +1.5 (-158) | Over 9.0 (-105) |
| New York Yankees | -144 | -1.5 (+134) | Under 9.0 (-115) |
Odds taken Aug. 31st.
Despite Tampa’s dominance over the Bronx Bombers this season, New York opened up as a -144 favorite in the Rays vs Yankees odds in a game that features a total of 9. They’ll give the ball to Masahiro Tanaka, who’s been one of the few bright spots on the staff not named Gerrit Cole this season.
Rays Look to Rough up Tanaka Again
The 31-year-old is fresh off one of his best starts in 2020, holding the Atlanta Braves scoreless over 5 innings. He scattered three hits and stuck out four, but didn’t factor into the decision after the bullpen blew a 1-0 lead.
Masahiro Tanaka's night is done as Chad Green enters:
5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K
66 pitches, 44 strikes
— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) August 27, 2020
Tanaka has been excellent in four of five outings this season, allowing just three earned runs in those four quality performances. The other outing however, was a nightmare. Two weeks ago, he squared off against this same Rays team and was rocked for six runs in just 4 innings of work. He surrendered eight hits, including two home runs, and suffered his first loss of the year.
https://twitter.com/jgroc/status/1295872858380546049
That was actually his second start versus Tampa Bay in 2020 and it was a far cry from the first. Earlier in August, he held the Rays to just one hit over 5 scoreless innings, but earned a no-decision in a 1-0 defeat. He’s typically pitched very well against Tampa Bay in the past, posting 10 wins in 20 career starts, which is the most victories he owns over any one organization.
Rays Career Stats vs Tanaka
| Player | AB | H | HR | RBI | K | AVG. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Randy Arozarena | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Brandon Lowe | 16 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 4 | .188 |
| Yandy Diaz | 13 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .154 |
| Hunter Renfroe | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .000 |
| Ji-Man Choi | 18 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 6 | .222 |
| Willy Adames | 19 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 5 | .211 |
| Kevin Kiermaier | 37 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 6 | .297 |
| Yoshitomo Tsutsugo | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Michael Perez | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | .250 |
The Rays meanwhile, outscored Miami 18-7 over the weekend and lead the AL in runs scored. They rank second in average and only the Chicago White Sox and the Bronx Bombers have a higher OPS.
New York Has Been Ice Cold vs Tampa
After a brutal seven-game losing streak, the Yankees bounced back over the weekend, earning three straight wins. The offense finally came alive on Sunday, as they crossed the plate 13 times during a doubleheader against the Mets.
A Subway Slam. pic.twitter.com/Yws1eKtSlX
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) August 30, 2020
Offense has been hard to come bay against Tampa Bay this season, as New York has been held to just 3.42 runs per game over their seven meetings. The Rays rank fifth in the AL in ERA and will send Trevor Richards to the mound on Tuesday. The right-hander, who alternates between the starting rotation and bullpen, has yet to start against the Yankees this season, but has logged 7 innings against them in relief. He’s surrendered four runs and eight hits over that stretch, while striking out six.
Yankees Career Stats vs Richards
| Player | AB | H | HR | RBI | K | AVG. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DJ LeMahieu | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Luke Voit | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .500 |
| Mike Ford | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Gio Urshela | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .333 |
| Mike Tauchman | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .500 |
| Brett Gardner | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .333 |
| Gary Sanchez | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 |
| Clint Frazier | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Jordy Mercer | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
DJ LeMahieu returned to action on Saturday, but New York is still missing Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Gleyber Torres and Aaron Hicks from the starting lineup.
Play the Under
Entering play on Monday, the under was 4-1 in the Rays last five games, and 4-2-1 in the Yankees last six outings. Four of Tanaka’s five outings have failed to eclipse the over and even if Richards’ start is short lived, Tampa Bay’s bullpen is perfectly capable of keeping the hobbled New York bats in check.
Wow. Name a more impressive makeshift bullpen.
You can’t !!
Rays Win ! RAYS Win !! RAYS WIN !!! #RaysUp #LockedOnRays
— Locked On Rays Podcast (@LockedOnRays) August 30, 2020
Play the under and bank on the Yankee bats struggling and Tanaka rebounding from his previous poor start against the Rays.
Pick: Under 9.0 (-115)
Sports Writer
As SBD's resident Swiss Army Knife, Chris covers virtually every sport including NFL, PGA, NBA, MLB, NCAAB, NCAAF and the Olympics. A true grinder, he'd rather pick off small edges in the player props market than swing for the fences with a 5-leg parlay.
