In the second of a three-game series between the New York Yankees (43-37) and the Tampa Bay Rays (43-37) at Yankee Stadium, Michael Pineda (8-5, 4.08 ERA) and Nathan Karns (4-4, 3.26 ERA) get the start. The Rays lost the last game 7-5, extending a six-game losing streak. The game starts at 1:05 p.m. ET on Saturday, Jul. 4 and will air on SunSports and FS1.
Pineda is 2-1 with a 3.22 ERA, 32 strikeouts and seven walks against the Rays in his career. Alex Rodriguez (.284, 44 Rs, 15 HRs, 45 RBIs, 1 SB) continued his strong season yesterday, going 2 for 3 with one run. In his pitching opportunities against the Yankees, Karns is 1-0 with a 3.07 ERA. He meets a solid New York offense that’s batting .256.
New York is a -167 favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is seven runs. The Yankees are 24-17 as the favorite and have an overall money line of -220. They have an SU record of 17-15 against teams in their division and a 9-7 record when they were the favorite in those games. The Yankees rank third in the majors in extra base hits with 254. They have been very patient at the plate, ranking third in the AL with an average of 3.2 walks per game. Turning to the pitching staff, the Yankees don’t give up many walks to opposing batters, ranking second in the AL with only 2.6 walks allowed per game. The have been extremely effective at striking opposing batters out, averaging 8.4 strikeouts per game.
Switching gears, the Rays come into this game with a win percentage of .512 when playing as the underdog (21-20) and an overall money line of +192. Over the last 10 games, they were winless as the underdog with a 0-3 record and 2-8 SU. The Rays have racked up 60 steals on the year, making them one of the most threatening base-running teams in the league. The last 10 games have really brought the worst out of the Tampa Bay pitchers. They allowed 4.8 runs per game during that span, which is higher than their season average of 3.6. They have a WHIP of 1.20 on the year, good for fifth in the league.
The Yankees have mostly come out on top against the Rays in their previous 11 games this season, earning a 7-4 record. The Yankees will take on a right-hander (Karns) in this game and have a 31-27 record against right-handed starting pitchers this season. The right-handed Pineda will take the mound against the Rays, who have a 27-31 record against righty starters this season.
Predictions: SU Winner – NYY, O/U – Over
Notes
When leading after 7 innings, Tampa Bay is 16-16, while New York is 19-23.
The Yankees managed to give up four walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Rays who are coming in with a 14-6 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
The Yankees are coming into the game with two consecutive wins, while the Rays currently have a losing streak of six.
When they outhit their opponents, the Rays are 29-10. The Yankees have a 29-5 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 26th, Tampa Bay sits near the bottom of the league in runs, scoring 296 this season. New York ranks in the top five at second with 375.
Ranking 19th, Tampa Bay is in the bottom half of the league in walks, notching 219 this season. New York ranks in the top five at fifth with 263.
When the Yankees hit at least one home run, they are 36-21, well-matched with the Rays who are 30-18 when hitting one or more homers.
