Adam Warren (1-1, 5.40 ERA) and the New York Yankees (11-8) meet Nathan Karns (1-1, 5.32 ERA) and the Tampa Bay Rays (11-8) in the first of a three-game division series at Yankee Stadium. The Rays enter this series looking to continue a five-game winning streak. The game gets underway at 7:05 p.m. ET on Monday, Apr. 27 and will air on SunSports and YES.
Warren is 0-1 with a 4.15 ERA and 1.57 WHIP against the Rays in his career. Chris Young (.320, 9 Rs, 4 HRs, 10 RBIs) went 1 for 4 yesterday with one run and one RBI. In his career against the Yankees, Karns is 0-0 with a 3.60 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, and seven strikeouts. Tim Beckham (.302, 9 Rs, 3 HRs, 10 RBIs, 1 SB) has been doing well to start the season for the Rays, going 2 for 3 yesterday with two runs.
New York is a -139 favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at eight runs. The Yankees are 4-4 as the favorite and have an overall money line of +193. They have a 6-6 record SU and are 3-3 as favorite within their division. The Yankees are a dangerous hitting team with 66 extra base hits, one of the highest totals in the MLB. They have been very patient at the plate during home games, ranking fifth in the AL with an average of 3.6 walks per game. New York’s pitchers struggle within their division. The Yankees have given up an average of 4.7 runs to intra-division opponents, well over their defense’s season average of 4.1. An area where the Yankees are particularly strong is striking batters out, where they average 9.1 K’s per game.
Across the field, the Rays have a nice record of 6-4 when they are the underdog and are +344 overall with the money line. Against teams in their division, they are 9-7 SU and have played well as the underdog with a 4-3 record. They have a WHIP of 1.13 on the year, good for fifth in the league. The Tampa Bay pitching staff has been an intimidating group this year, averaging 8.1 strikeouts per game.
So far this season, the Yankees are 3-0 against the Rays. The Yankees will take on a right-hander (Karns) in this game and have a 7-6 record against right-handed starting pitchers this season. Taking the hill against the Rays will be the right-hander Warren. They sport an 8-5 record against righties.
Predictions: SU Winner – NYY, O/U – Over
Notes
New York recorded at least two errors for the fourth time this season. Tampa Bay has never registered more than one error in a game this season.
Neither the Yankees nor the Rays have won a game in extra innings, both going 0-1 in such matchups.
The Rays are coming into this game after allowing one walk during their last outing. The Yankees have a 1-2 record when opponents give up that many walks or fewer.
When they outhit their opponents, the Rays are 10-1. The Yankees have a 6-0 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 12th, Tampa Bay sits in the top half of the league in runs, scoring 81 this season. New York ranks in the top five at third with 99.
New York and Tampa Bay both rank in the top five of the league in walks. New York sits at second with 75 this season and Tampa Bay ranks third with 71.
When the Yankees hit at least one home run, they are 8-7, well-matched with the Rays who are 7-6 when hitting one or more homers.
