Yankees vs. Rays (September 4): Will the Bronx Bombers break out to dodge damaging sweep in St. Pete?
Written by: Eddie Griffin
Last Update: Sun Sep 04, 2022, 5:36 am ET
Read Time: 4 minutes
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Following yet another pitiful performance at the plate, the New York Yankees face their most important game of the season as they look to stave off a sweep at the hands of the Tampa Bay Rays.
This is not a position that anyone in their ranks would have envisioned just a month ago, and even last weekend it looked like they might have weathered the storm.
But here they are, just four games ahead of the Tampa Bay Rays after losing the first two games at Tropicana Field. If their backs aren't already against the wall, they will be if they get swept out of St. Pete this afternoon.
The pressure is very firmly on New York in this matchup, as they should be coasting to the AL East title but instead find themselves on the verge of a colossal collapse, thanks in large part to seemingly forgetting how to hit.
New York Yankees vs. Tampa Bay Rays Matchup Information and Betting Odds
Matchup Information
- Matchup: New York Yankees (79-54, 34-34 away, 1st in the AL East) vs. Tampa Bay Rays (74-57, 44-23 home, 2nd in the AL East)
- Venue & Location: Tropicana Field (St. Petersburg, Florida)
- Date: Sunday, September 4, 2022
- Game Time: 1:40 p.m. Eastern Time
- Yankees vs. Rays TV Info: MLB Network
Yankees vs. Rays Pitching Matchup
- New York: Frankie Montas (2022: 24 starts, 4-11, 3.94 ERA – 0-2, 7.01 ERA in five starts with New York)
- Tampa Bay: Shawn Armstrong (2022: 40 appearances – one start, 2-1, 4.72 ERA – 2-1, 3.73 ERA in 33 appearances/one start with Tampa Bay)
Yankees vs. Rays Odds
Game odds are via BetOnline. Odds from other legal sports betting sites that we have reviewed may also appear in this article.
Moneyline
- New York Yankees -126
- Tampa Bay Rays +108
Over/Under
- Over 7 (-102)
- Under 7 (-120)
Run Line
- New York Yankees -1.5 (+136)
- Tampa Bay Rays +1.5 (-164)
New York Yankees vs. Tampa Bay Rays Prediction and Best Bets
Yankees vs. Rays Prediction: Tampa Bay to win
Yankees vs. Rays Best Bets: Tampa Bay ML (Best Value: +108 at BetOnline)
Montas has not quite gotten it fully clicking with his new team, with no quality starts in his first five starts with the Yanks.
Montas has allowed at least two runs in each start, so even if he doesn't allow four or more runs again–he allowed six runs in his first and third starts and four runs last time out against the Angels this past Monday–he has zero margin for error with how poorly things are going at the plate.
They went without a run in the first 17 innings of this series before Aaron Judge hit his league-leading 52nd homer to lead off the ninth in yesterday's 2-1 loss.
After hitting .246 with 157 homers (1.71 homers per game) and 497 runs in 92 games (5.4 runs per game) in the first half, the Bronx Bombers have hit just .221 with 49 homers (1.2 homers per game) and 156 runs in 41 games (3.81 runs per game).
Those numbers are even tougher to take in when you take away Judge's second-half numbers. In 40 games, he is hitting .326 (45 for 138) with 19 homers, 44 RBI, and 31 runs scored.
Only two other players, Jose Trevino (.275 in 33 games) and Andrew Benintendi (.254 in 33 games), who is currently on the IL, are hitting .250 or better in the second half.
Batting Leaders for the New York Yankees (Since the All-Star Break)
- Aaron Judge – .326 (40 games)
- Jose Trevino – .275 (33 games)
- Andrew Benintendi – .254 (33 games)
- Kyle Higashioka – .244 (17 games)
- Isiah Kiner-Falefa – .237 (36 games)
- DJ LeMahieu – .234 (36 games)
- Anthony Rizzo (32 games) & Matt Carpenter (16 games) – .225
In winning just nine of their last 29 games, the Yankees have scored three or fewer runs 20 times, including 14 times in 18 road games.
As bad as it has been, it is hard to see it getting better today, even with the Rays going with an opener rather than a traditional starter. Tampa Bay has one of the better bullpens in the league, as the Yankees have found out for themselves over the last couple of games.
I suppose there's reason to have the Yankees as favorites here, but that just makes the Rays excellent value for a sweep that could set the stage for a wild final month.
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