Tampa Bay Rays (29-11) vs New York Yankees (25-15)
7:05 PM Thursday May 20 on ESPN
Pitching Matchup:
Rays: James Shields
Yankees: Andy Pettitte
FREE Expert MLB Picks
This series is a great early season test for the Rays who are quickly proving last year was an aberration not a return to the norm. When they hosted the Yanks last month the visitors took two of three but the Rays have responded by taking the opener in this series in the Bronx. James Shields takes the hill tonight and he has not had much success against NY in his career sporting a 1-7 career record. He lasted only 5.2 innings in his previous start against NY this year in which he earned a no-decision in a 7-3 TB loss. TB needs Shields to work deeper into the game. Tampa’s hot start has been built on high quality pitching with timely hitting led by Evan Longoria. Opposing starter Andy Pettitte has owned Longoria in the past to the tune of 2 for 16 so they will need Carlos Pena to break out of his funk. Pena usually struggles against lefties but has an over .300 average against Pettitte including 4 homers.
The Yankees are off to a very strong start but still find themselves 4 games behind the Rays after last night’s series opening loss. Pettitte is undefeated on the season and looking to continue that streak against TB, a team he has dominated to the tune of 16-5 over the years. No surprise there given the Yankees success over his tenure. The Yankees haven’t lost a Pettitte start all season and are good bets to continue that run with positive trends for being at home, a favourite and against a right-handed starter. With all the sluggers in their lineup it is amazing that second baseman Robinson Can is leading the Yanks in homers. He has historically roughed up Shields to the tune of .462.
The Play: Are the Yanks going to let the Rays walk all over them in their own backyard? Not likely and they have their most consistent starter on the hill. Look for NYY to even the series tonight. At 1.74 this is a pretty good favourite payout. Predicting baseball scores is impossible but lets try NYY 6 – TB 3
Click Here for more FREE Expert MLB Picks
Tampa Bay Rays Betting Trends:
- Tampa Bay is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
- Tampa Bay is 17-4 SU in its last 21 games on the road
- Tampa Bay is 5-11 SU in their last 16 games when playing NY Yankees
- Tampa Bay is 1-6 SU in their last 7 games when playing on the road against NY Yankees
New York Yankees Betting Trends:
- NY Yankees are 19-6 SU in their last 25 games at home
- NY Yankees are 11-5 SU in their last 16 games when playing Tampa Bay
- NY Yankees are 6-1 SU in their last 7 games when playing at home against Tampa Bay
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.