DJ LeMahieu and the New York Yankees will take on their divisional rival Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field in a Sunday showdown. YES Network will televise the matchup and the game is scheduled to get going at 1:10 p.m. ET.
New York Yankees at Tampa Bay Rays Odds
Las Vegas has New York (+105) as the underdog to Tampa Bay (-115). If you’re thinking this game’s total is going to go below 8.5 runs scored, then Vegas is putting up -125 odds to play the under. Playing the over can return +105 odds. This game currently has a runline of Yankees +1.5 (-200) and Rays -1.5 (+170).
The Rays are 51-39 straight up (SU) and 48-41 against the spread (ATS). They’ve lost 4.0 units for moneyline bettors while gaining 3.4 units ATS. Tampa Bay has covered the spread four times in its last seven games and the total has gone over in five of those seven. The Yankees are 57-30 SU and have gone 50-36 against the spread. Overall, the team’s gained 13.8 units for gamblers taking the moneyline and 15.9 units ATS. New York has covered the spread five times in its last seven games and the over has hit in five of those seven.
Tampa Bay games have a 38-45-6 over/under record thus far in 2019. The Yankees have been a decent over bet with a total record of 48-35-3.
James Paxton is getting the start for New York. The left-handed Paxton is 5-3 with a 4.09 ERA and 84 strikeouts. He has yet to face the Rays this year and only made one start against them in 2018 (1-0, 3.86 ERA and 10 strikeouts across seven innings).
The Rays are turning to righty Charlie Morton (9-2, 2.36 ERA), who has 132 punchouts and 35 walks as well as a 1.03 WHIP. Morton is 0-0 with six strikeouts and a 6.75 ERA in one start against New York this year.
New York’s pitching staff allowed 4.5 runs per game and its starters own a 4.24 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 8.72 K/9. The bullpen has logged an ERA of 4.08, along with a WHIP of 1.27 and a K-per-9 of 10.01.
The Yankees offense has slashed .266/.344/.466 on its way to 5.8 runs scored per game in 2019, including 6.8 runs per game against divisional foes and 5.2 per game over the team’s last five outings (3-2 SU).
New York’s offensive production has been led by second baseman DJ LeMahieu and shortstop Gleyber Torres, who collectively have launched 31 home runs. LeMahieu is hitting .336/.383/.518 with 12 home runs, 63 RBIs and 65 runs scored. Torres (.292/.360/.528) is up to 19 homers, 50 RBIs and 56 runs scored.
In the home-team dugout, Tampa Bay’s pitching staff has allowed 3.7 runs per game overall in 2019. Its starters have a 3.03 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 10.0 strikeouts per nine innings. The bullpen has a 3.74 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 9.0 K/9. In 35 games against AL East opponents, Rays starters have an ERA of 2.67 and the bullpen’s ERA is 5.06.
The Tampa Bay hitters are putting up 4.6 runs per contest, including 4.4 per game against divisional foes and 4.8 per game over their last five. The team has a slash-line of .254/.332/.409 over its last five matchups and is 2-3 SU during that stretch.
The Rays’ batters have been led by outfielders Tommy Pham and Avisail Garcia. Pham is slashing .278/.378/.453 with 13 home runs, 37 RBIs, 41 runs and eight stolen bases, and Garcia’s line is .273/.331/.444 with 12 homers, 42 RBIs, 39 runs and nine stolen bases.
The Yankees have gained 13.1 units and are 37-26 ATS when facing a righty starter this season. The over has cashed in 36 of those games, compared to 25 that’ve gone under in such games. On the other hand, the Rays have lost 1.9 units and are 18-13 ATS when facing a left-handed starting pitcher. The over’s hit in 11 of those games, as opposed to 19 that’ve cashed the under.
Yankees at Rays Free Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Rays, ATS Winner – Yankees, O/U – OVER
Betting Trends
- New York has recorded 19 extra-base hits over its last five games. Tampa Bay has 16 XBH over its last five.
- New York has posted 31.1 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 games and 23.6 over its last five.
- The Yankees have hit 22 home runs in their last 10 games. The Rays have hit 11 over their last 10.
- The Yankees have a total OPS of .810 this season and an OPS of .836 against right-handed pitchers. The Rays’ OPS sits at .751 overall and .762 versus righties.
