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The New York Yankees (61-66) open a 3-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays (78-51) on Friday at Tropicana Field. First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. ET. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Yankees vs. Rays odds and make our expert MLB picks and predictions for the best bets.
Season series: Rays lead 6-4
The Yankees lost 6-5 to the Washington Nationals Thursday. New York has lost 9 of its last 10 games and is last in the AL East, 18 games back of the division-leading Baltimore Orioles and 10 games back of the final AL Wild Card.
The Rays beat the Colorado Rockies 5-3 Thursday to extend their win streak to 4 games. Tampa Bay has won 7 of its last 10 contests and is now only 2 games behind the Orioles in the division while holding a sizeable lead at the top AL Wild Card.
Yankees at Rays projected starters
RHP Gerrit Cole vs. RHP Zach Eflin
Cole (10-4, 3.03 ERA) makes his 27th start. He has a 1.07 WHIP, 2.4 BB/9 and 9.5 K/9 through 160 1/3 IP.
- Last start: Loss, 4 IP, 6 ER, 7 H, 1 BB, 4 K in an 8-1 home loss to the Red Sox Saturday
- 2023 road stats: 3-2, 2.62 ERA (68 2/3 IP, 20 ER) in 11 starts
- Career vs. Rays: 3-7, 3.72 ERA (109 IP, 45 ER) in 18 starts
Eflin (13-7, 3.58 ERA) makes his 25th start. He has a 1.03 WHIP, 1.2 BB/9 and 8.8 K/9 through 138 1/3 IP.
- Last start: Win, 6 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 1 BB, 4 K in an 18-4 road victory vs. Los Angeles Angeles Saturday
- 203 home stats: 10-3, 3.05 ERA (82 2/3 IP, 28 ER) in 14 starts
- Career vs. Yankees: 3-0, 1.57 ERA (23 IP, 6 ER) in 4 starts
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Yankees at Rays odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 9:10 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Yankees +110 (bet $100 to win $110) | Rays -135 (bet $135 to win $100)
- Run line (RL)/Against the spread (ATS): Yankees +1.5 (-190) | Rays -1.5 (+155)
- Over/Under (O/U): 7 (O: -125 | U: +105)
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Yankees at Rays picks and predictions
Prediction
Rays 5, Yankees 4
Moneyline
The RAYS (-135) are the pick in this AL East showdown even with Cole on the mound for the Yankees. Besides the recent woes of the Yankees, Tampa Bay is 43-22 at home compared to New York producing a 25-33 record on the road this season.
Run line/Against the spread
While a duel between Cole and Eflin should remain close, I’ll AVOID betting on the run line in this contest. Taking the Yankees to keep the game within 2 runs isn’t worth the risk at nearly -200 odds.
Over/Under
OVER 7 (-125) is how I’d wager on the run total despite Cole and Eflin pitching on Friday. The Over is 7-3 in the first 10 meetings this season.
The Yankees are 6-4 to the Over in their last 10 games overall and the Rays are 8-2 to the Over in their last 10 contests.
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