The All-Star break can’t get here soon enough for the free-falling New York Yankees as they try to turn things around Tuesday when they open a series at bitter AL East rival Tampa Bay.
The Yanks are short favorites on the MLB odds behind Carlos Rodon.
MLB Picks: Yankees -125, Rays +105 (total 8) Score Prediction: Yankees 5, Rays 4 |
New York Yankees Odds -126
The Yankees are now three games behind the AL East leaders, Baltimore, after a 3-0 loss to Boston on Sunday night.
NY has lost 15 of 20 games and was shut out for the sixth time this season. They are 13-16 against AL East rivals.
The team has dropped to 0-6-1 in their last seven series, starting with a loss to the Red Sox from June 14-16.
Injuries to Consider
Gleyber Torres left Friday’s game against Boston with a sore right groin, causing him to miss the next two games.
His status for Tuesday is uncertain. Torres had been struggling at the plate before taking a mental break, but has since improved with a homer and four RBIs.
Yankees reliever Scott Effross is nearing a return to the bullpen after rehab stints in Class-A Tampa and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
He underwent Tommy John surgery in 2022 and had back surgery over the winter.
Yankees’ Streak
Despite facing struggles, the Yankees are among seven MLB teams that have not lost five consecutive games this season, along with Boston, Cleveland, Kansas City, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, and Seattle.
They have 23 comeback wins, ranking second in the league behind Milwaukee. The team leads the league in runs and home runs in the first inning, with a record of 29-5 when scoring in the first inning.
Carlos Rodon on the Hill
Rodon will pitch on Tuesday with a 9-6 record and a 4.45 ERA. In his last game, he gave up three runs in 5.1 innings but struck out eight batters. This was a better performance compared to his previous three games.
The veteran did, however, continue to struggle with the long ball Wednesday, yielding multiple homers for the third straight outing.
Rodon has given up seven home runs during that three-game stretch, and his 18 homers allowed on the campaign is tied for third most in the majors.
Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake said Rodon is working to adjust his approach as teams key on hitting his fastball.
Rodon is 0-2 with a 4.82 ERA in six career appearances vs. the Rays.
^Tampa Bay Rays Odds +103
The Rays reached .500 last week, but a three-game sweep by Texas dropped them to 44-46. They were crushed 13-2 on Sunday as the Rangers had 19 hits, sending nine batters to the plate in the fourth and fifth innings.
Jose Caballero hit a two-run home run on Sunday, the only scoring for the Rays. Despite leading 2-1 in the third inning, the Rangers scored nine runs in the next two frames. The Rays have won 10 of their last 17 games.
Rays Stats
The Rays have been successful on 22 out of 25 stolen base attempts in their last 17 games, with an 88.0% success rate.
This is the most steals and second-best stolen base percentage in the AL since June 19, just behind the Red Sox.
Previously, they only had a 60.0% success rate in their 21 games from May 25 to June 18.
Pitching Problems
The Rays’ bullpen has struggled this year, with 17 blown saves, tying them with Detroit for second most in the AL after the White Sox.
This is the second-highest number of blown saves before the All-Star break in franchise history, following behind their 2022 record.
Despite a solid 16-8 record in one-run games, they have split their last eight games after winning six in a row.
Ryan Pepiot on the Hill
Pepiot will be pitching on Tuesday after taking a loss to the Royals last week.
He allowed two runs in four innings and didn’t strike out any batters. The Royals scored two runs in the third inning, before Pepiot was replaced after throwing 87 pitches.
The Rays only managed to score two runs, resulting in Pepiot being in line for the loss.
Pepiot had his last win on June 4 against Miami and didn’t record any strikeouts in his recent game.
The 26-year-old has not completed six innings in his last four starts, bringing a 4.40 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, and 83 strikeouts into his next outing.
This will be Pepiot’s first career start vs. the Yankees. In two career starts against the AL East, both coming this season, Pepiot is 0-1 with a 6.30 ERA (10.0IP, 7ER).
He allowed a career-high nine hits on June 10 vs. Baltimore (L, 6.0IP, 9H, 4ER, 0BB, 9SO, 2HR).
^Betting Yankees at Rays MLB Odds
When: Tuesday, 6:50 PM ET
Where: Tropicana Field
Pitchers (away/home): Carlos Rodon/Ryan Pepiot
TV: MLB Extra Innings
Stream/gameday audio: https://www.mlb.com/live-stream-games/
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