Masahiro Tanaka (8-4, 3.32 ERA) and the New York Yankees (59-56) take on Matt Andriese (6-3, 2.90 ERA) and the Tampa Bay Rays (46-68) in a game that has the potential to be low scoring. This is the second of a three-game series at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees won the last game 6-3, and New York leads the series 1-0. Action begins at 1:05 p.m. ET on Saturday, Aug. 13 and can be seen on YES and SUN.
Tanaka pitched 6.0 innings in his last outing, surrendering one run and striking out eight in a 3-2 win over the Indians. Carlos Beltran (.304, 51 Rs, 23 HRs, 68 RBIs) went 1 for 4 yesterday. Andriese went 4.2 innings, surrendering three runs, striking out five and walking one in a 6-3 defeat to the Twins in his most recent start. Evan Longoria (.283, 58 Rs, 26 HRs, 66 RBIs) has been successful at the plate for the Rays, going 2 for 3 yesterday with one run, one home run, and two RBIs.
New York is a -155 favorite against Tampa Bay and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at eight runs. Though the Yankees have had a tough season in terms of their overall money line (-149), they have done fairly well as a favorite with a record of 39-24. New York is an impressive 3-1 as the favorite over its last 10 games. The Yankees have seen a decline in scoring against teams inside their division, averaging 3.3 runs per game. They average 4.1 runs per game on the season. New York’s pitchers put it all together when division rivals are on the field. Its average runs allowed per game drops to 3.9 against fellow AL East members, compared to its 4.4 season average. The Yankees are the third-best team in the AL at limiting hits to their opponents, allowing only 8.4 hits per game so far this season. Opponents have consistently been struck out by the Yankees, who rank second in the AL in strikeouts per game with 8.7.
Over in the other dugout, Tampa Bay is coming in with an overall money line of -2,853 and a disappointing record of 19-32 as the underdog. They played poorly as the underdog over their last 10 games with a 1-3 record and a 4-6 record SU.
The Yankees have a 42-37 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Andriese takes the mound. Tanaka (RHP) will be on the hill against the Rays, who have a 34-52 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – NYY, O/U – Over
Notes
Tampa Bay has won 38% (18-30) of its games when leading after seven innings. However, New York has won 54% (33-28) of its games when taking a late lead.
The Rays are coming into this game after allowing one walk during their last outing. The Yankees have a 10-19 record when opponents give up one walk or less.
When they are outhit, the Rays are 10-51. The Yankees have a 12-45 record when opponents outhit them.
New York ranks near the bottom of the league when it comes to home runs, hitting 116 this season. Tampa Bay ranks in the top 10 with 147.
New York and Tampa Bay both rank in the top half of the league in hits. New York sits at 14th with 8.39 hits per game and Tampa Bay ranks 15th with 8.07.
New York and Tampa Bay both rank near the bottom of the league for their on-base plus slugging percentage. New York sits at 27th with an OPS of .707, and Tampa Bay ranks 21st with an OPS of .726.
When the Rays allow at least one home run, they are 24-61. When the Yankees allow one or more homers, they have a 35-45 record.
