Rays-Yankees Preview
NEW YORK (AP) – If Derek Jeter is going to reach the 3,000-hit club at home, he will more than likely have to do it in this series against the Tampa Bay Rays.
The New York Yankees captain is three hits shy of the milestone entering Thursday night’s opener of a four-game set.
Jeter went 1 for 3 with a walk in Wednesday’s 5-3 loss at Cleveland to move closer to becoming the 28th major leaguer to reach the exclusive club. Following this series and the All-Star break, New York (51-34) resumes play with an eight-game trip.
According to MLB odds and oddsmakers from online sports book Bodog have made the Yankees -166 money line favorites for Thursay’s game against the Rays. Current MLB Public Betting Information shows that 87% of more than 680 bets for this game have been placed on the Yankees -166.
That means that the iconic superstar has these four games to try to accomplish the mark at home.
“I’m looking forward to it,” Jeter said. “I wanted more today, but that wasn’t the case. I’m definitely looking forward to going back to New York. Our fans have always been pretty good when they have an opportunity to witness something that hasn’t happened.
“They care a lot about the history of the organization, so I would anticipate them being animated. I don’t know, but I probably think it will be kind of fun.”
One factor in Jeter’s favor is that he is 5 for 9 with two doubles against Rays starter Jeff Niemann (3-4, 5.05 ERA). This is Tampa Bay’s first visit to Yankee Stadium, where Jeter hit .333 against the Rays in 2010.
“It’ll be fun, there will be a little bit different buzz in the air for sure when you’re going out there to take the field,” Niemann told MLB.com. “It’ll be exciting. There won’t be any shortage of adrenaline or excitement.”
The Yankees will start Bartolo Colon (6-3, 2.88), seeking to win five straight starts for the first time since Aug. 2-24, 2005, with the Angels. Colon has thrown 13 consecutive scoreless innings and has a 1.00 ERA over his last four outings.
The veteran right-hander lasted six innings Saturday to earn a 5-2 win over the Mets.
Colon’s 9-2 career mark against the Rays (48-39) doesn’t mean much since he has little experience against many of their hitters, although Johnny Damon is 18 for 51 against him.
Damon, however, may not be available. He left Wednesday’s 12-5 victory at Minnesota due to a bruised left hand after being hit with a pitch by Francisco Liriano for the second time in as many at-bats.
The former Yankees outfielder underwent X-rays, and manager Joe Maddon said afterward there were no broken bones and Damon could play this weekend.
“I’m hoping we have a speedy recovery tonight, so I can get back in the lineup,” Damon said. “It got me pretty good. It was probably the worst I’ve got it in my career, and I’ve taken one off the face before. This one got me pretty good.”
The Rays are beginning a stretch of 11 straight against the Yankees and Boston, games Maddon referred to as “a chance to rock and roll a little bit.” Tampa Bay trails the heavyweights despite having the AL’s third-best record.
“We want to go back (to the playoffs), and we expect to win the division again,” Maddon said.
The Rays used a 14-hit attack Wednesday to avoid a three-game sweep. Evan Longoria homered and drove in four runs, and Kelly Shoppach and Sean Rodriguez also went deep.
Niemann, meanwhile, is 2-0 with a 3.60 ERA in three starts since missing a month and a half with a lower back strain. He yielded one run over six innings Saturday to earn a 5-1 victory over St. Louis.
The right-hander is 2-0 with a 3.74 ERA in four outings against the Yankees.
New York’s Alex Rodriguez is hitting .397 (23 of 58) with 10 RBIs in his last 15 games.
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