Betting odds: Tampa Bay Rays at New York Yankees
- Rays moneyline: -116
- Yankees moneyline: +107
- Over/Under: 9
- First pitch: 1:05 p.m. ET
>> All odds as of Wednesday morning. Download The Action Network App to get real-time MLB odds and track your bets
We've reached the dog days of the sports calendar. The NBA and NHL are in offseason mode and football is still a few months away. That's why MLB day games are nothing short of a national treasure.
Bettors certainly love day games. But perhaps nobody loves day games more than CC Sabathia and the big lefty is in action for the Yankees against the Rays on Wednesday afternoon (1:05 p.m. ET).
For just the second time during this season, Sabathia is slated to toe the rubber in day game (3 p.m. ET or earlier).
In his first start — back in April at home against the White Sox — CC pitched five innings and allowed one hit and no walks with three strikeouts.
In that start vs. the White Sox, Sabathia had a 1.98 FIP, or fielding independent of pitching, his lowest mark of the 2019 season and his lowest mark at home since June of last season against none other than the Tampa Bay Rays.
CC's numbers in that outing shouldn't surprise anybody.
According to Bet Labs, (which has data going all the way back to 2004), Sabathia's teams are 65-43 (60.2%) on the moneyline when he works a day game.
The 38-year-old southpaw is one of six pitchers with at least 100 matinee starts and Sabathia owns the second-highest win percentage and return on investment (3.2%) for bettors in this spot.
Over the last three seasons the Yankees have gone 11-2 in day games with Sabathia on the mound. They have won those games by an average of 2.9 runs and are allowing just 1.9 runs against, thanks in large part to Sabathia's 2.17 ERA.
In that same span CC is 9-3-1 (75%) on the first-five Innings moneyline in this spot. And in his last eight games, the Yankees have only allowed a total of four runs in 40 innings.
If the Yankees close as underdogs it will be the first time he is an underdog in a day game since 2017. Do you dare fade CC during the day?
