The top two teams in the American League East square off this week when the Tampa Bay Rays visit the New York Yankees. The Yankees (16-6) have a 2 ½ game lead over the Rays (14-9), as a combination of hot offense and solid pitching have both teams winning — but the Yankees have a winning percentage of .727 and don’t show many signs of slowing down. Can the Rays make a dent in that division deficit? Or will the Yankees increase their lead?
Check out our baseball betting preview as you plan your week’s MLB betting.
MLB Series: (August 18-20)
Tampa Bay Rays at New York Yankees
Game Details
When:
Tuesday, August 18, 7:00 pm ET
Wednesday, August 19, 7:05 pm ET
Thursday, August 20, 1:05 pm ET
Where: Yankee Stadium, The Bronx, NY
TV: ESPN (Tue) / Fox Sports Sun / YES Network (Wed & Thu)
Radio: WDAE 620 AM Tampa / St. Petersburg / WFAN 660 AM New York City
Stream/gameday audio:
https://www.mlb.com/live-stream-games/
Game Betting Odds
Probable pitchers (away/home):
Tuesday: Blake Snell (1-0, 2.08 ERA) (TB) vs Masahiro Tanaka (0-0, 2.31 ERA) (NY)
Wednesday: Tyler Glasnow (0-1, 7.04 ERA) (TB) vs Gerrit Cole (4-0, 2.76 ERA) (NY)
Thursday: Undecided (TB) vs James Paxton (1-1, 7.04 ERA) (NY)
Rays | Check the Odds
Yankees | Check the Odds
Who should you pick in Tuesday’s game?
Blake Snell starts for the Rays in Tuesday’s nationally televised game. He has been terrific for the Rays so far; in three of his four starts, he has held the opposition scoreless, although he is still building stamina, as his longest outing came in his most recent start, as he lasted five innings in a win over Boston. He held the Yankees hitless while striking out five and walking two over three innings on August 7.
Masahiro Tanaka has also made a strong start in 2020. He has not given up more than two earned runs in any of his three starts this season, and he was the unlucky pitcher on the other side of that August 7 matchup, as he held the Rays scoreless over five innings in a game the Rays would end up winning, 1-0. I see another pitchers’ duel coming down on Tuesday night.
Final Score Prediction:
New York 2, Tampa Bay 1 | Bet on the Game Now!
Who should you pick in Wednesday’s game?
Tyler Glasnow has fanned 27 batters in 15 ⅓ innings for Tampa Bay this season. However, he has also walked 10, surrendered 17 hits and been scorched for 12 earned runs — and the earned run totals go up with each game. The Yankees got him for four runs on five hits over 2 ⅔ innings on August 8, and then Boston lit him up for five runs on eight hits in four innings on August 13; luckily, the Rays scored 17 runs to get the win.
Gerrit Cole, on the other hand, continues to dominate the opposition. In five starts, he has four victories, and he has struck out 34 batters in 29 ⅓ innings, and he has finished six innings three times. In his last start, on August 14, he held Boston to one run on a solo shot, allowing four hits in total while striking out eight and walking none, over seven innings, in a 10-3 laugher.
Final Score Prediction:
New York 8, Tampa Bay 2 | Bet on the Game Now!
Who should you pick in Thursday’s game?
We don’t know who the Rays will send to the hill in Thursday’s matinee yet. One solid contributor for Tampa Bay on the offensive side has been shortstop Willy Adames, who has a .284 batting average — nice numbers for a shortstop. He also has enough pop in his bat to be a 20-home run hitter, as he was in 2019.
James Paxton has needed a ton of help from his offense — in his two starts that the Yankees have won, they’ve pounded out 20 combined runs. In each start this year, he has allowed three earned runs, and the Rays hit two home runs off him on August 9, in a game Tampa Bay would win, 4-3. He did fan 11 Rays in that game, though.
I wouldn’t lock in any wager until the Rays name a starter, but with Paxton on the hill, I see Tampa Bay getting some scoring going.
Final Score Prediction:
Tampa Bay 7, New York 5 | Bet on the Game Now!
