MLB Game Preview: Tampa Bay Rays at New York Yankees

Jun 14, 2022

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Game: Tampa Bay Rays @ New York Yankees

Time: 7:05 p.m. ET

Odds:  Rays +180, Yankees -220

Total: 8

The New York Yankees are on a tear. They have won 11 of their last 12 games and their offense has been unstoppable. The only reason they didn’t score yesterday was that they didn’t play. In their last game on Sunday, New York put up 18 runs in a win over the Cubs. Tonight, the Yankees will face a former teammate in Tampa Bay pitcher Corey Kluber. He’ll go up against Gerrit Cole.

Kluber pitched against the Yankees on May 28. He went six innings and allowed just one earned run. He didn’t pick up the win, but the Rays won 3-1. Kluber is 3-2 with a 3.88 ERA this season. Tampa Bay has won each of his last three starts.

The problem for Kluber is the Yankees are red-hot. In their last ten games, New York has averaged 7.2 runs per game. In four of those ten games, the Yankees scored double-digit runs. They are now third in MLB in runs and the Yankees have the best OPS in baseball. Giancarlo Stanton is healthy and back in the lineup and guys like Matt Carpenter (two homers on Sunday) are hitting the ball as well.

The Yankees’ offense has been outstanding this season, but the pitching is even better. The combination of the two is why New York is 44-16 and has the best record in baseball. The Yankees pitching staff is the only one in the majors with an ERA below 3.00. The bullpen ERA is 2.87 and is the second-best (behind Houston) in MLB. The Yankees have the entire package.

The Rays are no slouch. Tampa Bay has 35 wins but playing in the competitive AL East they are in third place. Wander Franco has been out with a quad injury and the Rays have felt the impact of not having him in the lineup. They dropped a series to the White Sox and then another over the weekend to Minnesota.

Despite not having Franco, the Rays are still 4-2 SU in their last six games and they have had success against the Yankees on the road. In their last 18 road games against New York, the Rays are 13-5 SU. Kluber has won his last two starts in a row allowing just four earned runs in 11 total innings.

The Yankees, as mentioned, have won 11 of the last 12 and they are a perfect 10-0 in their last 10 home games. As prolific as they have been, the Yankees trend Under with a 26-32-2 O/U mark for the season. So far in June, all but three of the Yankees games have hit tonight’s total of 8.

The Rays trend Under (27-31-2 O/U) this season too. The total has gone Under in four of their last six games on the road. In the series with the Yankees, four of the last five games have seen the total go Under.