The Tampa Bay Rays (100-61) go for a three-game sweep of the New York Yankees (91-70) Sunday in the finale of a weekend series at Yankee Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 3:05 p.m. ET. Let’s analyze the lines around the Rays vs. Yankees odds with MLB picks and predictions.
Season series: Rays lead 11-7
The Rays, who had won the AL East and clinched the No. 1 seed in the AL playoffs before this series, beat the Yankees 4-3 Friday and 12-2 Saturday.
The Yankees, who had a seven-game win streak snapped by the Toronto Blue Jays Wednesday, have lost three of their last four games. They are tied with the Boston Red Sox for the AL’s No. 1 Wild Card, while the Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners are both 1 game back entering the final day of the regular season.
RHP Michael Wacha is projected to start for the Rays. He is 3-5 with a 5.26 ERA (119 2/3 IP, 70 ER), 1.35 WHIP, 8.9 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 through 22 starts and six relief appearances this season.
- Last outing: No-decision, 5 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 2 BB, 6 K in 4-3 loss at Houston Astros Tuesday
- Career vs. Yankees: 1-1, 3.86 ERA (32 2/3 IP, 14 ER), 1.16 WHIP, 11.0 K/9 through five starts and two relief appearances
RHP Jameson Taillon is projected to start for the Yankees. He is 8-6 with a 4.40 ERA (141 IP, 69 ER), 1.21 WHIP, 8.8 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 through 28 starts, but he exited his last start in the third inning due to an ankle injury.
- Last outing: No-decision, 2 1/3 IP, 1 ER, 1 H, 1 BB, 2 K in 7-2 win at Blue Jays Tuesday
- Career vs. Rays: 1-2, 3.94 ERA (16 IP, 7 ER), 18 H, 7 BB, 18 K across three starts
Rays at Yankees odds, lines, picks and prediction
MLB odds courtesy of Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports for a full list. Odds last updated at 8:50 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Rays +115 (bet $100 to win $115) | Yankees -140 (bet $140 to win $100)
- Against the spread/ATS: Rays +1.5 (-175) | Yankees -1.5 (+140)
- Over/Under: 9.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
PLAY: Free, daily sports pick’em contests. Play now!
Prediction
Rays 9, Yankees 4
Money line (ML)
BET 1.25 UNITS on TAMPA BAY (+115).
Wacha pitched 5 hitless innings in his last outing, and he has faced the Yankees four times this season, including two starts. He was 1-0 in those starts and didn’t allow an earned run across 11 combined innings with 9 strikeouts in each game.
Taillon is 0-2 with 7 runs allowed over 9 2/3 IP in two starts against the Yankees this season.
Run line/Against the spread (ATS)
ATS records: Rays 95-66 | Yankees 76-85
BET TAMPA BAY +1.5 (-155) to WIN a QUARTER UNIT.
The Rays’ ATS record is the best in the AL and is second in the majors (behind the San Francisco Giants’ 97-64).
Tampa Bay also covered the spread five games in a row and in eight of its last nine outings.
Over/Under (O/U)
O/U records: Rays 83-70-8 | Yankees 69-87-5
BET OVER 9.5 (-110) to WIN a QUARTER UNIT.
While the O/U is 9-9 across the 18 head-to-head contests this season, the Over is 17-8 in Taillon’s starts and 12-7 when Wacha takes the hill.
Look for Tampa Bay’s offense to knock Taillon out early and help this Over hit before the seventh inning.
For more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com. Please gamble responsibly.
| JOHNNY’S RECORD | W-L | SP | ROI |
| SINCE JULY 8 | 44-26 | 19-8 | +14.997 |
| *–SP: Strongest plays; ROI: Return on investment | |||
Follow @JohnnyParlay11 on Twitter. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and like us on Facebook.
Gannett may earn revenue from Tipico for audience referrals to betting services. Tipico has no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. See Tipico.com for Terms and Conditions. 21+ only. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA).
[lawrence-newsletter]
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1372]