Rays vs. Yankees Pick
Can the New York Yankees pick up a seventh straight victory this afternoon when they take on the Tampa Bay Rays at 1:05PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, New York is the favorite today, as the Yankees are getting odds of -165 to win, while the Rays are listed with odds of +150 to prevail. The over/under total for the game has been set at 9 runs.
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The pitching matchup for this game has Jordan Montgomery (7-5, 3.92 ERA) on the mound for the Yankees to face Jacob Faria (5-1, 2.67) of the Rays. Montgomery had been struggling somewhat, but managed a nice 6.2-inning, 1-run outing against the Reds in his last start. This year, he has 99 strikeouts with 33 walks and a 1.22 WHIP. Faria has been good most of the season, but has allowed seven runs over his last 12.1 innings. This year he has 50 strikeouts with 17 walks and a 1.10 WHIP.
The Yankees are looking to complete a four-game sweep of Tampa. New York picked up a 6-5 win on Thursday and a 6-1 win on Friday. The Yanks followed that up with a 5-4 win on Saturday. New York is now 56-46 overall and 31-17 at home while Tampa is 53-52 overall and 24-29 on the road.
The Yankees got another walk-off win on Saturday, this time behind a Brett Gardner single. Gary Sanchez had his 16th home run of the season to lead the team while Chase Headley also homered and drove in two. Starter Caleb Smith lasted just 3.1 innings in the start for New York, but his bullpen came through for him. Blake Snell pitched 5.1 innings for the Rays, allowing three runs. Tampa was led at the plate by Steven Souza Jr., who had his 22nd home run of the season.
New York faces another tough pitcher today, but I think the Yankees can keep this momentum train rolling. Montgomery is a capable pitcher in his own right, but he has the better run support behind him. Faria could compete, but I don’t expect him to get a lot of help at the plate from his hitters today. Stick with the Yankees while they are hot.
MLB DAILY PREDICTION: NEW YORK YANKEES -165