In the first of a three-game series between the Tampa Bay Rays (69-72) and the New York Yankees (78-64) at Tropicana Field, Erasmo Ramirez (10-5, 3.96 ERA) and CC Sabathia (4-9, 5.16 ERA) take the mound. The game starts at 7:10 p.m. ET on Monday, Sep. 14 and will air on SUN.
In his last start, Ramirez pitched 5.0 innings, allowing four runs and striking out nine in an 8-7 loss to the Tigers. Steven Souza Jr. (.217, 48 Rs, 15 HRs, 35 RBIs, 11 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday. The Yankees were unsuccessful the last time Sabathia pitched. He tossed 4.2 innings, allowing one, striking out five and walking three in a 5-3 loss to the Orioles. Alex Rodriguez (.256, 77 Rs, 31 HRs, 81 RBIs, 3 SBs) has been doing well, going 2 for 4 yesterday with one run and one RBI.
Tampa Bay is favored by a small -108 margin in its matchup against New York. The teams combine to set the Over/Under (O/U) at eight runs. The Rays are 34-32 as the favorite and have an overall money line of -573. They have an SU record of 28-30 against teams in their division and a 12-12 record when they were the favorite in those games. Tampa Bay has averaged 5.7 runs per game over the last 10 games, higher than its season average of 3.9. Turning to the pitching staff, an area where the Rays are particularly strong at home is striking batters out, where they average an AL-best 9.0 K’s per home game.
Moving on to the away team, the Yankees come into this game with a win percentage of .464 when playing as the underdog (26-30) and an overall money line of -48. Against divisional foes, they are 33-29 SU and 12-14 as the underdog. When it comes to scoring, the Yankees haven’t performed as well against teams from the AL East. During those games, they averaged four runs per game, below their 4.9 runs per game season average. New York is one of the top hitting teams in the league with 451 extra base hits. New York has an eye for the strike zone on the road, averaging an AL-best 3.4 walks per game. The last 10 games have really brought the worst out of the New York pitchers. They allowed 6.0 runs per game during that span, which is higher than their season average of 4.4. They also allow just 2.8 walks per road game, fifth-best in the AL. The New York pitching staff has been an intimidating group this year, averaging 8.4 strikeouts per game.
The Yankees have mostly come out on top against the Rays in their previous 16 games this season, earning a 10-6 record. The Rays will take on a left-hander (Sabathia) in this game and have a 26-16 record against left-handed starting pitchers this season. The right-handed Ramirez will take the mound against the Yankees, who have a 53-47 record against righty starters this season.
Predictions: SU Winner – NYY, O/U – Over
Notes
Tampa Bay earned its 12th shutout of the season in its last game. New York has been shut out five times this season.
Having scored zero runs in their last game, the Rays are going to have to up their game if they want to win this matchup. The Yankees have a 3-0 record in games where opponents scored that many runs.
When they are outhit, the Rays are 13-43. The Yankees have a 17-50 record when opponents outhit them.
Tampa Bay ranks in the top half of the league at 13th when it comes to home runs, hitting 142 this season. New York ranks in the top five at third with 194.
Ranking 12th, Tampa Bay is in the top half of the league in hits, notching 8.48 per game. New York ranks in the top five at fifth with 8.77.
Ranking 18th, Tampa Bay is in the bottom half of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.719). New York ranks in the top five at third with an OPS of .755.
The Yankees are 40-50 in games where they allow one or more home runs. The Rays are 31-55 when they allow at least one homer.
