The New York Yankees (25-14) and Tampa Bay Rays (19-19) open a 3-game series Friday in St. Petersburg, Fla. First pitch from Tropicana Field is scheduled for 6:50 p.m. ET. Let’s analyze FanDuel Sportsbook’s'lines around the Yankees vs. Rays odds and make our expert MLB picks and predictions for the best bets.
Season series: Yankees lead 2-1
Both squads recently saw 5-game winning streaks snapped. New York failed to cash as a (-140) home favorite on Thursday vs. Houston, losing 4-3 as SP Marcus Stroman surrendered a season high 9 hits and 4 runs in 5.1 IP. Rays SP Aaron Civale did not get through the 5th inning for the 4th straight start as Tampa Bay fell 4-1 Wednesday as a big-time home favorite (-260) vs. Chicago.
The Yankees enter Friday with the most wins in the American League (25), although they are a 0.5 game back of Baltimore for 1st place in the AL East. CF Aaron Judge has gotten hot, as the Yankees captain is riding a 6-game hitting streak with RBIs in 5 straight games and 3 HR over that span.