Yankees vs Rays Picks and Odds – Aug 8
- Gerrit Cole will seek his 20th straight victory as he takes the mound for the New York Yankees against the Tampa Bay Rays in the opener of a Saturday twinbill
- Cole’s winning streak stretches back to May 27, 2019
- All of the odds and predictions on the outcome of this AL East showdown follow in the story below
Gerrit Cole is pitching today for the New York Yankees.
When things look bleak, as they come off their first shutout loss of the season handed them Friday by the Tampa Bay Rays, there can be no more soothing words for a Yankees bettor to hear than that above sentence.
Three games into his career in pinstripes, Cole is the ace the Bronx Bombers thought he would be when they paid him $324 millon on a nine-year deal agreed to during the offseason.
So far as a Yankee, Cole is 3-0 with a 2.55 earned-run average and 16 strikeouts.
No wonder then that New York is the -143 favorite in the Rays vs Yankees odds.
New York Yankees vs Tampa Bay Rays August 8 Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Runline | Total Odds at FanDuel |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York Yankees | -164 | -1.5 (+132) | O 6.0 (+104) |
| Tampa Bay Rays | +142 | +1.5 (-156) | U 6.0 (-128) |
Odds taken Aug. 8
Cole will be looking for his 20th successive regular-season victory on Saturday. He suffered his last loss via a 9-4 setback issued him by the Chicago White Sox on May 22, 2019.
Cole Fire
Since beating the White Sox on May 27, 2019, Cole is 19-0 with a 1.86 ERA in 25 regular-season starts. That’s the sixth-longest unbeaten streak by a pitcher in MLB history.
Gerrit Cole improves to 3-0 for the Yankees, who tie their best 9-game start in team history (8-1).
Cole has struck out 242 batters since the last time he lost a reg. season game. If he ever loses, those will be the most strikeouts between losses in MLB history. h/t @EliasSports pic.twitter.com/lF1zuOL6Pc
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) August 4, 2020
He’s struck out 242 batters during this winning streak. When he finally takes a loss – assuming he will, eventually – Cole will have set a new MLB standard for the most strikeouts recorded between defeats.
Rays Career Stats vs Cole
| Player | AB | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Willy Adames | 10 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Mike Brosseau | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Ji-Man Cho | 5 | 1 | 4 | .600 |
| Yandy Diaz | 3 | 1 | 1 | .667 |
| Kevin Kiermaier | 6 | 0 | 0 | .167 |
| Brandon Lowe | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Jose Martinez | 8 | 0 | 0 | .375 |
| Austin Meadows | 6 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Michael Perez | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Hunter Renfroe | 9 | 0 | 0 | .111 |
| Kevan Smith | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Yoshi Tsutsugo | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Joey Wendle | 7 | 0 | 3 | .429 |
| Mike Zunino | 16 | 0 | 1 | .125 |
Coming off a game in which they failed to score, it will also be comforting to the Yankees to know that they’ve backed Cole up with offense. The Bronx Bombers have scored 19 runs in his three starts and never fewer than four in any one game with Cole on the hill.
Friday’s loss marked the end of the season-opening 12-game home run streak of the Yankees.
Does Glasnow The Way?
Rays starter Tyler Glasnow has put up decent numbers, even though he’s without a decision so far this season. Glasnow has fanned 14 in just 8.2 innings and posted a 3.21 ERA.
Tyler Glasnow, Mechanics (99mph Fastball). pic.twitter.com/ZnwgYvVtV9
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 1, 2020
Going back to last season he’s made six straight starts without figuring in the outcome. In fact, Glasnow hasn’t won since May 3 of last year. That was 24 days before Cole launched his unbeaten run.
Yankees Career Stats vs Glasnow
| Player | AB | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mike Ford | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Brett Gardner | 4 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Aaron Hicks | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Kyle Higashioka | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Aaron Judge | 3 | 0 | 0 | .333 |
| DJ LeMahieu | 4 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Gary Sanchez | 3 | 0 | 0 | .667 |
| Ginacarlo Stanton | 3 | 1 | 2 | .333 |
| Mike Tauchman | 1 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Gleyber Torres | 3 | 0 | 1 | .3333 |
| Gio Urshela | 2 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Luke Voit | 2 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Tyler Wade | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
The Rays have scored only three runs in Glasnow’s two starts this season. Overall, after a 4-1 start the Rays have lost six of eight.
Rays Of Hope
Is Tampa Bay kryptonite to the Yanks? There is evidence to support this theory. Not only did the Rays blank the juggernaut that is New York’s offense, it was the second straight game in which Tampa Bay has shutout the Yankees.
Tampa Bay has won three straight from New York and owns a 6-4 edge over the past 10 games. At Tropicana Field, the Rays have posted five successive wins over the Bronx Bombers, checking the Yanks on one run or fewer in four of those games.
We are getting blessed with Gerrit Cole vs Tyler Glasnow today 🙂
— Spencer (@Mims_Szn) August 8, 2020
Likewise, Cole is 0-2 with two no decisions in four career regular-season starts against Tampa Bay. He is 2-0 against the Rays in the postseason, though. Cole beat Tampa Bay twice in last year’s ALDS, including a victory over Glasnow in the decisive fifth game.
However, all good things must come to an end. Is the Trop where Cole finally gets topped?
It’s worth the price to make that play.
Pick: Tampa Bay Rays Moneyline (+142).
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
