Rays Look to Split Series Sunday Afternoon
There aren’t many baseball teams better than the 51-39 Tampa Bay Rays, but the 57-30 New York Yankees certainly qualify. They’ll play their last game before the All-Star break this Sunday at the Trop. The Yankees have won the first two game of the series. Today’s matchup has all the makings of another good one.
TV: 1:10 p.m. ET, TBS; YES (New York), FS Sun (Tampa Bay); LINE: Rays -125; O/U: 7.5 -110.
PITCHING MATCHUP: Yankees LH James Paxton (5-3, 4.09 ERA) vs. Rays RH Charlie Morton (9-2, 2.36)
Finally, it was the Tampa Bay Rays coming up with the clutch hits in the late innings. New York looked set to make it to extra innings and grab a third straight win in the series. Aaron Hicks had different ideas, as he tied the game with a solo homer in the top of the ninth Saturday. It was catcher Travis d’Arnaud who came up with two outs and belted a walk-off solo blast. The Rays won the game 4-3. The victory snapped a three-game slide for the Rays. It moved them back within 7 1/2 games of the Yankees and a chance to get closer today.
New York has not dropped back-to-back games since a three-game slide from June 11-14. They had taken six straight from the Rays before Chad Green faltered in the ninth inning Saturday.
Pitching Matchup for Rays is Favorable Against Yankees
Morton is having an incredible season for the Rays after coming over from the Houston Astros in free agency. He’ll be making his second appearance in the Midsummer Classic as announced earlier in the week. Tampa hasn’t taken full advantage of Morton’s talents. They have only gone 11-7 in his 18 starts. Seven of those ended in a No Decision for Morton, with the Rays winning just twice. This is despite a full five runs of support per game and arguably the best bullpen in the majors.
Morton had little trouble with the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday. He struck out a season-high 12 while scattering one run and four hits across seven innings to earn a win. Morton has posted a quality start in each of his last three turns in the rotation. He has allowed three or fewer earned runs in 16 of his 18 outings. Morton’s shortest outing of the season came at New York on May 19. He was reached for five runs, three of them earned, on four hits and four walks in four innings.
The Yankees are 9-5 behind Paxton this year. They are giving the southpaw a solid 6.21 runs per game. The Yankees bullpen is performing very well, as well. Paxton hasn’t pitched to the level of what some in New York expected. They sent three prospects to the Seattle Mariners for Paxton back in November, after three dominant seasons in the Pacific Northwest.
Paxton is just trying to find some consistency. Today he has a chance to post a quality start in back-to-back outings for the first time since April. He had a solid turn at the New York Mets on Tuesday. Paxton held the Mets to one run on eight hits and two walks. The line was six innings and he did not factor in the decision. Paxton is seeing Tampa Bay for the first time this season. He won his lone start against the Rays as a member of the Seattle Mariners in 2018, allowing three runs and striking out 10 in seven innings.
The Dart Throw: Rays 4, Yankees 1
Rays & Yankees Betting Odds & Trends
| New York Yankees |
|---|
| NY Yankees is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games |
| NY Yankees is 16-3 SU in its last 19 games |
| The total has gone OVER in 17 of NY Yankees’s last 25 games |
| NY Yankees is 8-1 ATS in its last 9 games on the road |
| NY Yankees is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games on the road |
| The total has gone OVER in 18 of NY Yankees’s last 25 games on the road |
| NY Yankees is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Tampa Bay |
| NY Yankees is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing Tampa Bay |
| NY Yankees is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Tampa Bay |
| NY Yankees is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Tampa Bay |
| The total has gone OVER in 4 of NY Yankees’s last 5 games when playing on the road against Tampa Bay |
| Tampa Bay Rays |
|---|
| Tampa Bay is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games |
| The total has gone OVER in 4 of Tampa Bay’s last 5 games |
| Tampa Bay is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games at home |
| The total has gone OVER in 4 of Tampa Bay’s last 5 games at home |
| Tampa Bay is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games when playing NY Yankees |
| Tampa Bay is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing NY Yankees |
| Tampa Bay is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games when playing at home against NY Yankees |
| Tampa Bay is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against NY Yankees |
| The total has gone OVER in 4 of Tampa Bay’s last 5 games when playing at home against NY Yankees |
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