New York Yankees at Tampa Bay Rays odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Saturday’s New York Yankees at Tampa Bay Rays sports betting odds and lines, with MLB betting picks, tips and best bets.

The New York Yankees (9-4) and Tampa Bay Rays (6-7) will tangle in two games Saturday. Both games are slated as seven-inning affairs per MLB’s special rule in place for 2020. The Tropicana Field twin bill begins at 2:10 p.m. ET. We analyze Saturday’s opener between the Yankees and Rays with betting odds and lines and make our MLB picks and best bets.

Yankees at Rays: Projected starting pitchers

RHP Gerrit Cole vs. RHP Tyler Glasnow

Cole owns a 2.55 ERA through three starts. He has logged a 3.21 mark over 195 career games.

  • Cole has filed a 41% strikeout rate against current Rays batters while holding them to a .635 OPS.
  • The new Yankees ace filed a sub-3.00 ERA on the road each of the last two seasons. He’s making his third career start at the Trop with a 1.50 ERA and 1.08 WHIP.

Glasnow posted a 12-start 1.78 ERA in 2019. The 26-year-old fire-baller has whiffed 14 batters in 8 2/3 innings this season and has an ERA of 3.12.

  • Glasnow has a short-but-effective history against New York batters. He’s held them to a .200/.259/.320 slash line.

Get some action on this game or any other matchup in the 2020 season with an MLB bet at BetMGM in NJ, IN, CO and WV. Bet now!

Yankees at Rays: Key injuries

Get the latest injury news here.

  • RP Aroldis Chapman (COVID-19 recovery) cleared, but doubtful
  • RP Tommy Kahnle (elbow) out

Rays

  • OF Manuel Margot (personal) out

Yankees at Rays: Odds, lines, picks and betting tips

MLB odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full list. Odds last updated at 11:25 a.m. ET.

Moneyline (ML)

The Yankees offense has disappeared the last couple of games. Philadelphia beat New York, 5-4, Thursday, and the Rays took Friday’s series opener, 1-0.

In the seven games prior to those back-to-back losses, the Bronx Bombers had averaged 7.0 runs per game on a .922 OPS.

Cole actually hasn’t pitched as well as his surface numbers would indicate, but the price is right for a New York bounce in Saturday’s opening game. TAKE THE YANKEES (-162).

New to sports betting? A $10 bet on the Yankees to win returns a profit of $6.17.

Run line/Against the spread (ATS)

Let’s avoid the run line  — YANKEES -1 (-125) — in this truncated tilt at the pitcher-friendly Trop.

Over/Under (O/U)

Cole has run into bats and barreled-up contact at below-par rates so far, and both bullpens are a tad overrated by their surface stats. Add in a brief team slump, and that makes for some value on the OVER 5.5 (-110). Keep in mind that low number is because of the seven-inning rule.

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