The MLB is set up with another strong slate of baseball throughout June 20. Nine games are up on the board throughout Monday night. One of these games will be between the New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays. These two teams have been solid throughout this season and will look for a big win in this one. This game will start at around 7:10 PM Eastern time.
New York has earned a record of 49-17 throughout the season, which has them sitting in the top spot of the AL East. The Yankees are coming off a loss in their last game, which ended a nine game winning streak. New York has an eleven game lead on the division and will look to extend it. The Yankees will look to bounce back with a win on Monday night.
The Rays have put up a record of 36-30 so far on the season, which has them in third place of the AL East. Tampa Bay is coming off a loss in their last game and have lost four of their last five. The Rays are two games back on the second seeded Toronto Blue Jays. Tampa Bay will look to get back on track with a win in this one.
These two teams have been solid throughout the season and will look for a big win on Monday night. The Yankees have been red hot this season and will look to keep it going early in this one. Tampa Bay has struggled as of late and will look to bounce back. If either team can come out quickly in this one, it could be enough for the win.
Game Overview
The following odds are courtesy of Bovada:
| Teams | Spread | Money Line | Total |
| New York Yankees | -1 ½ (+140) | -135 | Over 6 ½ (+100) |
| Tampa Bay Rays | +1 ½ (-165) | +113 | Under 6 ½ (-120) |
| Team Data | New York Yankees | Tampa Bay Rays |
| Overall Record | 49-17 | 36-30 |
| Away/ Home Record | 20-10 | 21-13 |
| Batting Average | .249 | .233 |
| Batting Average Away/ Home | .251 | .231 |
| ERA | 2.86 | 3.15 |
| ERA Away/ Home | 3.29 | 2.83 |
Betting Trends
New York Yankees
- 15-2 in June games
- 3-2 when playing on Monday
- 24-11 against division rivals
- 33-10 in night games
- 17-6 against left handed starters
- 11-4 after a loss
- 21-7 against team with a winning record
Tampa Bay Rays
- 8-9 in June
- 1-5 when playing on Monday’s
- 11-11 against divisional opponents
- 20-20 in night games
- 27-23 against righties
- 16-13 after a loss
- 15-16 against team with a winning record
These two teams have met up seven times throughout the season. Aaron Judge had two RBI’s in the first two games as New York earned 7-2 and 2-0 wins.Tampa Bay only gave up three runs over the next two games as the Rays won 3-1 and 4-2. Kyle Higashioka had three RBI’s, while Anthony Rizzo had two RBI’s in the most recent three games as the Yankees won 2-0, 4-3 and 2-1 to sweep the set.
Back home tomorrow to take on the Yankees pic.twitter.com/DgrmKjZCte
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) June 19, 2022
Offense
The Yankees have been solid throughout this season at the plate. New York has a .249 batting average, which is 10th in the MLB. The Yankees have put up an OBP of .328, which is 2nd in the league. New York has earned a .772 OPS, which is 1st in the MLB. The Yankees have hit .240 against left handers this season.
Tampa Bay has struggled a bit hitting the ball throughout the season. The Rays have a BA of .233, which is 24th in the league. Tampa Bay has a .296 on base percentage, which is 26th in the MLB. The Rays have an OPS of .668, which is 26th in the league. Tampa Bay has a .227 batting average against righties on the season.
New York has been the better team at the plate on the season and will look to keep their bats going early. The Rays will look to step up hitting the ball though as they try to close the gap in the standings. Tampa Bay may need their pitching to step up if they struggle at the plate. If either team can hit well early, it could be enough for the win.
Pitching Preview
Gerrit Cole will likely get the start on the mound for the Yankees in this one. Cole has earned a record of 6-1 throughout his 13 starts on the season. He has posted a 3.33 ERA and a WHIP of 1.068 in those games. Cole’s last start was against the Rays. He gave up five hits and no runs through six innings en route to the win.
I expect Shane McClanahan to get the nod at pitcher for Tampa Bay on Monday night. McClanahan has started in 13 games this season, going 7-3 in those matchups. He has put up an ERA of 1.84 and a 0.855 WHIP in his outings. McClanahan pitched six innings in his last start against New York. He gave up three hits and one earned run through six innings in the loss.
These two pitchers have been strong on the season and will look to step up early in this one. The Rays have a slight edge with McClanahan on the mound, while New York has the edge in the bullpen. The Yankees relievers have a combined ERA of 2.95, which is 4th in the MLB. Tampa Bay’s bullpen has a 2.97 ERA, which is 5th in the league.
Pick Overview
These two teams will look for a big win in this AL East battle. The Yankees have won their last three games against Tampa Bay and will look to keep it going in this one. New York has been the better team this season, but with McClanahan starting, I think the Rays can battle back. If Tampa Bay can get the early lead in this one, I believe they will earn the win.
Bovada has the Yankees listed as a -135 against the money line in this one. This implies that New York will win this game around 57.5 percent of the time. I think that this line should be closer to even with both teams having their ace on the mound. Tampa Bay is back at home for this series and as underdogs, I like the value on them to earn the win.
