Tampa Bay Rays vs New York Yankees Betting Pick & Prediction 7/20/24

At 1:05 PM ET, the Rays and Yankees face off in an AL East matchup. This one is being played at Yankee Stadium in New York, and the Yankees are the heavy favorite on the money line, with their line sitting at -154 compared to the Rays at +131. The over/under line is currently at 8 runs.

Taj Bradley will start for the Rays, and he will be facing off against Nestor Cortes for the Yankees. The Rays are 48-49, while the Yankees are 59-40, and they are 2nd in the AL East. MLBN is carrying this game on TV.

NEW YORK YANKEES VS TAMPA BAY RAYS BETTING PICK

The Pick: New York Yankees Moneyline -154

This game will be played at Yankee Stadium at 1:05 ET on Saturday, July 20th.

HOW TO BET THE RAYS VS YANKEES:

• We have the Yankees winning by a score of 5 to 4
• However, if you’re looking for a run line pick, we like the Rays to cover
• As for an over/under pick, we have this game finishing with 9 runs and like the over

The most recent game o of this Yankees vs Rays series took place on the same day as this writing. New York went into the matchup as -169 favorites and picked up a 6-1 win. With the victory, the Yankees have now won two games in a row after dropping the first game of the series.

Gerrit Cole started for the Yankees and picked up the win, going six innings and giving up just one run. He finished the game with eight strikeouts but issued a season-high five walks. As for the Rays, Zach Eflin got the start and took the loss, giving up four earned runs in five innings of work.

Offensively, the Yankees were led by Juan Soto, who went 4/4 with two doubles and three runs scored. Anthony Volpe also had a two-hit game and drove in three runs. Aaron Judge chipped in with a two-hit performance and an RBI.

Rays Records & Stats

The Rays are 48-49 overall, putting them 4th in the AL East, 11 games behind the Orioles for the division lead. So far, they have gone just 12-19 in AL East matchups. Tampa Bay is on the road for today’s game vs. the Yankees, and they are an even 27-27 at home.

At home, the Rays have gone 21-22 this year. They have lost four straight games on the road, and as the underdog, they are 20-24 this season compared to 28-25 as the favorite. Tampa Bay’s overall series record is 17-11-2, and they have won two straight series.

When betting the run line for the Tampa Bay Rays on the road, it’s been profitable this season, as they are 25-18. The Rays are 45-52 overall on the run line this season, with an average run margin of -0.7. They have a losing run line record at home, going 20-34, but have been a better bet on the road, where they have a run line record of 25-18. Tampa Bay’s average run margin on the road is -0.8.

Despite the over/under line being set at 8 runs, the Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees have a combined run average of 8.5 runs per game this season. The Rays have an over/under record of 45-47 on the year, and when the line is set at 8 runs, they have gone 11-14-1. Overall, 38.1% of their games have had over/under lines set at more than 8 runs, and the under has hit in their last four games.

Taj Bradley gets the start for the Rays today as he faces the Yankees on the road. So far this season, he has made 12 starts and has a record of 4-4 with an ERA of 2.90. Bradley’s WHIP for the season is currently 1.11. The right-hander has turned in five quality starts this year and is averaging 11.2 strikeouts per nine innings. In his last outing, Bradley picked up the win, going seven innings and not allowing a run. Before that, he had given up at least one earned run in three straight outings. Opponents are batting .206 off Bradley this season.

Brandon Lowe has been on a tear for the Rays, going 10/28 in his last eight games with two homers. He also has three RBIs during this stretch. Overall, he is batting .235 with 14 homers. Isaac Paredes has been one of the Rays’ top power threats this season, as his 15 homers are 1st on the team and 13th in the MLB. He is also batting .258.

As a team, the Rays are averaging just 3.9 runs per game, which is 27th in the league. They also have one of the worst slugging percentages in the league at .370. Overall, they are batting .235, which is 13th in the league.

Yankees Records & Stats

The Yankees are 59-40 overall this season, putting them just one game behind the Orioles for the AL East lead. New York is 17-19 in divisional games and took the first game of this series vs. the Rays. So far this year, they are 45-34 as the favorite and 25-17 when favored at home. The Yankees have gone 33-21 on the road compared to 26-19 at home.

At home, the Yankees have an overall series record of 17-10-3, and they have dropped five straight series at home. Their overall series record is 17-10-3 this year. New York’s overall record is 5-5 heading into today’s game.

The Yankees have a run line record of 53-46 this season, including 22-23 at home. Their average run margin for the season is +1.1 runs per game. They are 31-23 vs. the run line on the road, where they have an average scoring margin of +1.4 runs per game. As the favorite, the Yankees are 37-42 vs. the run line, while they are 16-4 vs. the run line as the underdog.

When the Yankees play at home, the over/under line is set at 8 runs, and their games have averaged 8.9 runs per game. Overall, the over/under record for Yankees games this season is 50-45, and their games have had an average over/under line of 8 runs. When the line is set at 8 runs, their over/under record is 8-10-2. This season, 63% of their games have had over/under lines set higher than 8 runs, while 16% of their games have had lines set lower than 8 runs.

New York is sending Nestor Cortes to the mound today vs. the Rays, and he will be looking to bounce back from a rough outing vs. Tampa Bay. In that start, which came on July 11th, Cortes took the loss after giving up five earned runs in 4 1/3 innings of work. Looking back over his last four starts, Cortes has given up at least three earned runs in three of them. Cortes’ ERA for the season is 3.67, along with a record of 4-8. At home, he is 4-3 with a 1.88 ERA.

Heading into today’s game, the Yankees are the top-scoring team in the league, averaging 5 runs per game. They have been even better on the road, averaging 5.2 runs per contest. New York’s offense is also one of the league’s top home run-hitting teams, as they are 2nd in the league in homers. So far, they have been very patient at the plate, leading the league in walks.

Aaron Judge and Juan Soto have been two of the league’s top power hitters this season, as Judge’s 34 homers are the best in the league, and Soto is 5th in the league with 23 long balls. Soto has also been swinging a hot bat of late, going 13/34 in his last eight games. Judge has two homers in his last eight games and has gone 7/26 in that stretch.