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MLB Betting Preview- Tampa Bay Rays at New York Yankees
Thursday, July 7, 2011 at 7:05 PM EST on MLB Network
Spread: New York Yankees -1.5
Money Line: Tampa Bay +155, New York -165
Over/Under: 9.5o -100
The Tampa Bay Rays and the New York Yankees kick-off an extended four-game series at Yankees Stadium tonight in a showdown of AL East division rivals. The first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on the MLB Network.
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Tampa Bay crushed Minnesota yesterday afternoon 12-5 as a 102 road favorite to avoid a three-game sweep to the Twins. It was just their fifth win in the last 10 games, but the Rays come into this series only four games in back of New York in the division. They have an overall record of 48-39 and are 21-21 at home, but an impressive 27-18 on the road.
Yesterday’s 12 runs scored are hopefully a sign of things to come for a Rays’ lineup that is ranked seventh in the American League in scoring with an average of 4.26 runs per game. B.J. Upton leads a group of four players with 40+ RBI this season with 45. Jeff Niemann is slated to get the start tonight for Tampa Bay. He is 3-4 this season with a 5.05 ERA, but is coming off one of his best outings of the season; holding St. Louis to one earned run on nine hits in six innings of work. Niemann is 2-0 against the Yankees with a 3.74 ERA in his career.
New York lost a 5-3 rubber match to Cleveland last night as a slight 105 road favorite to fall to 51-34 on the year and just a half game ahead of Boston in the East. It was the Yankees third loss in their last four games after winning seven straight. They are 23-16 on the road, but bring a five-game home winning streak into this series with an AL-best 28-18 record at Yankee Stadium.
Derek Jeter resumed his pursuit of his 3000th MLB career hit after coming off the 15-day DL earlier in the week. With three hits in his last two games, he comes into this game just three shy of this milestone.
Bartolo Colon is expected to be on the mound tonight for New York. He is 6-3 this season with an ERA of 2.88. Last Saturday, he blanked the Mets through six innings to earn his sixth win of the year. Colon is 7-2 lifetime against the Rays with an ERA of 3.90.
Head-to-head, they split two games earlier this season in Tampa, but last year the Rays went 10-8 overall and 5-4 at Yankee Stadium. The total has gone ‘over’ in four of the last six meetings.
The odds makers have the New York Yankees as a -1.5 point favorite with an run total of 9.5.
Prediction: Take the Yankees in this one as a return home signals a return to their winning ways.
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Tampa Bay Rays Betting Trends:
- The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Tampa Bay’s last 7 games
- Tampa Bay is 12-6 SU in its last 18 games
- Tampa Bay is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games on the road
- The total has gone OVER in 15 of Tampa Bay’s last 21 games when playing NY Yankees
New York Yankees Betting Trends:
- The total has gone UNDER in 6 of NY Yankees’s last 8 games
- NY Yankees are 8-3 SU in their last 11 games
- NY Yankees are 5-0 SU in their last 5 games at home
- The total has gone OVER in 15 of NY Yankees’s last 21 games when playing Tampa Bay
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