Week 2 of the new NFL season will begin tonight when the Baltimore Ravens play host to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the opening edition of Thursday Night Football. Over in the majors, the New York Yankees look to keep their playoff hopes alive when they face the Tampa Bay Rays.
Read on for our preview of these two important matchups and while you’re at it, you can check out our MLB Free Picks for the five best baseball games to bet on today.
[sc:MultiSportArticles ]Tampa Bay Rays vs. New York Yankees (7:05 PM ET)
Line: Tampa Bay Rays (+103) at New York Yankees (-113); total: 7.0 – see all MLB lines
[sc:Other240banner ]The New York Yankees will look to sustain the momentum of their huge 8-5 comeback victory over the Tampa Bay Rays last night and will turn the ball over to starter Michael Pineda (3-4, 1.80 ERA). He has been excellent in his past two assignments, allowing just two earned runs in 13 innings of work but was unlucky to lose in both outings because of the lack of run support.
He will face the Rays’ Alex Cobb (9-7, 2.83 ERA) who has been pitching tremendously well this past few games. Ever since the All-Star break, Cobb has compiled a 5-1 record with an impressive 1.27 ERA. He has a good record against the New York Yankees lately as well, with the Rays winning five of their last six games against the Yankees with Cobb as their starter.
The Yankees are 6-4 in their last 10 home games while the Rays are an even 5-5 in their last 10 games on the road.
You can read the complete preview of this match here.
Writer’s Prediction
The Yankees win.
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Baltimore Ravens (8:25 PM ET)
Line: Pittsburgh Steelers (+2.5) vs. Baltimore Ravens (-2.5); total: 44.0 – view all NFL lines
Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was immense in his season debut against the Cleveland Browns in Week 1, completing 23-of-34 passes for 365 yards and a touchdown as he led the Steelers to a nerve-wracking 30-27 win. It was Roethlisberger’s poise in the endgame that helped the Steelers nail the win as he improved his record against Cleveland to 18-1.
He will next face the Baltimore Ravens who are desperate to bounce back from their opening day defeat against the Cincinnati Bengals. QB Joe Flacco was a disappointment in his first game, completing just 35-of-62 passes for 345 yards, a touchdown and one interception.
They will be confident heading into the game against Pittsburgh. They are 3-2 in their last five games against the Steelers at M&T Bank Stadium.
You can read a full preview of the game here.
Writer’s Prediction
The Ravens win and will cover the spread.
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