Yankees vs. Rays Odds
| Yankees Odds | +105 |
| Rays Odds | -130 |
| Over/Under | 7 (-120/+100) |
| Time | 7:10 p.m. ET |
| TV | MLB.TV |
| Odds via BetMGM. Get up-to-the-minute MLB odds here. | |
The Yankees' big lead in the American League East has shrunk precipitously recently.
New York went 10-18 (.357 WP) in August, one of the worst performances in August in the history of baseball's premier franchise, which is saying something considering the Yankees have been playing baseball for over 100 years and this is one of the better Yankees teams.
Still in first place, the Yankees lead the Rays by merely five games in the loss column entering play Friday. Who will get the job done tonight and ultimately take home the victory in this crucial divisional matchup?
Springs Solid For Rays
As you may have noticed, the Yankees aren't favored in this game.
The primary reason for that is Tampa Bay starting pitcher Jeffrey Springs. He has a 2.76 ERA and 3.61 xFIP this year. His K% is 27% and the Yankees have five hitters in their projected lineup with a K% above 20% against left-handed pitching this season.
The Yankees have five hitters with at least a .185 ISO against left-handed pitching this year in Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Josh Donaldson, Gleyber Torres and Jose Trevino.
Springs has only allowed a .125 ISO to right-handed hitters this season, though. He also has a 2.18 ERA at home this year.
The Yankees are third in all of baseball averaging 4.95 runs per game on the road entering play Friday.
Can Rays Hit German?
Going for the Yankees is Domingo German, who has a 3.76 ERA but a 5.01 xFIP this year. German has allowed a .205 ISO to right-handed hitters this season.
Tampa Bay doesn't have a lot of power in their lineup but Randy Arozarena is right-handed and has a .188 ISO against right-handed pitching this season.
David Peralta is left-handed, but he has a .209 ISO against right-handed pitching this season.
German has a 3.08 ERA on the road and the Rays are 17th in all of baseball averaging 4.22 runs per game at home this year.
Yankees-Rays Pick
I'm on the Yankees here. Springs is a good pitcher, but even though the Yankees' offense has slumped recently it's mostly back to full strength with the return of Stanton, who is better against left-handed pitching.
German has been a solid pitcher on the road and Clay Holmes is back to solidify the Yankees bullpen.
New York is 8-5 head-to-head against the Rays this year and it's difficult to pick Tampa Bay here without players like Brandon Lowe, Wander Franco, and Shane McClanahan available.
I took the Yankees moneyline at +115 on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Pick: Yankees ML +115
