Matt Andriese (0-0, 3.86 ERA) and the Tampa Bay Rays (6-6) go up against Michael Pineda (1-0, 5.11 ERA) and the New York Yankees (5-6) in the last of a three-game division series at Tropicana Field. The Yankees won the last game 9-0 and New York leads the series 2-0. The game gets underway at 1:10 p.m. ET on Sunday, Apr. 19 and will air on PIX11 and SunSports.
In his last start, Andriese pitched 3.2 innings, giving up two runs, striking out two and walking one in a 3-2 loss to the Blue Jays. In his career against the Rays, Pineda is 1-1 with a 2.88 ERA. He gets a less-than-stellar Tampa Bay offense that’s batting just .223. Brett Gardner (.296, 8 Rs, 1 HR, 4 RBIs, 3 SBs) has been doing well to start the season, going 2 for 4 yesterday with two runs, one RBI, and two stolen bases.
Tampa Bay is a slight underdog (-101) and the Over/Under (O/U) is seven runs. The Rays have a winning record of 5-3 when playing as the underdog and an overall money line of +145. They have a 4-4 record SU and are 3-2 as the underdog within their division. Tampa Bay has averaged 3.6 runs per game during divisional play, lower than its season average of 4.4. The Rays are a nightmare for opponents on the bases with 12 steals, one of the highest totals in baseball. Turning to the pitching staff, the Rays don’t give up many hits to opposing batters at Tropicana Field, ranking second in the AL with only 5.5 hits allowed per home game. An area where the Rays are particularly strong is striking batters out, where they average 7.8 K’s per game.
On the other side, the Yankees have a subpar record of 2-3 when they are favored and are -253 overall with the money line. Against divisional opponents, they are 4-6 SU and have played poorly as the favorite with a 2-3 record. New York has an eye for the strike zone, ranking 3.8 in the AL with fourth walks per game. The New York pitching staff has been an intimidating group this year, averaging 9.5 strikeouts per game.
So far this season, the Yankees are 2-0 against the Rays. This game will feature Pineda (RHP) on the mound against the Rays, who have a 5-3 record when they take on a right-handed starter. Taking the hill against the Yankees will be the right-hander Andriese. They sport a 3-4 record against righties.
Predictions: SU Winner – TB, O/U – Over
Notes
New York earned its first shutout of the season in its last game. Tampa Bay has been shut out one time this season.
When the Rays and the Yankees play into extra innings, both teams are winless with a 0-1 record.
The Yankees are coming off of a hot pitching game where they recorded 10 strikeouts. The Rays have a record of 1-2 when they are struck out that many times or more.
When they are outhit, the Rays are 1-4. The Yankees have a 2-6 record when opponents outhit them.
New York tops the league in home runs with 17 this season. Tampa Bay ranks in the top 10 at ninth with 12.
Tampa Bay and New York both rank in the top 10 of the league in hits. Tampa Bay sits at eighth with 7.73 hits per game and New York ranks seventh with 7.80.
Ranking 15th, Tampa Bay is in the top half of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.699). New York ranks in the top 10 at ninth with an OPS of .725.
The Yankees are 3-5 in games where they allow one or more home runs. The Rays are 1-5 when they allow at least one homer.
