The Tampa Bay Rays (29-9) will be in the Bronx for the 1st game of a 4-game series against the New York Yankees (21-17). First pitch on Thursday' will be at 7:05 p.m. ET (MLB Network). Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Rays vs. Yankees odds and make our expert MLB picks and predictions for the best bets.
Season series: Rays lead, 2-1
The Rays have lost their last 2 game, which is just the 3rd time this season they’ve lost back-to-back contests. They’ve yet to lose 3 in a row, so they’ll be trying to avoid a 3-game losing skid by beating the Yankees on Thursday. Having lost 3 of its last 5 games Tampa Bay’s lead in the AL East has shrunk to just 4.5 games over the Baltimore Orioles.
The Yankees are still last in the AL East, but they’ve gotten back on track recently with 6 wins in their last 8 games, including a current 3-game winning streak after sweeping the Oakland Athletics. New York is 23rd in team batting average (.235), but the pitching staff is holding up well, ranking 7th in team ERA (3.59).