The series between the Tampa Bay Rays and the New York Yankees comes down to a rubber-match tonight. A win means more for the Yankees, who are chasing a wild card spot in the American League, but the Rays can play the role of the spoilers as they start Alex Cobb. Find out more about this showdown below.
This matchup is also included in our list of five best baseball games to bet on today, which you can read here.
[sc:MLBArticles ]Tampa Bay Rays vs. Baltimore Orioles Betting Preview
Where: Yankee Stadium, New York
When: Thursday, September 11, 7:05 PM ET
Line: Tampa Bay Rays (+103) at New York Yankees (-113); total: 7.0 – view all MLB lines
Betting on the Tampa Bay Rays
[sc:MLB240banner ]New York is making a push for a wild card ticket in the American League, but seeing Alex Cobb (9-7, 2.83 ERA) on the mound tonight doesn’t bode well for the Bronx Bombers. The Rays are 5-1 in Cobb’s last six starts against New York.
The last time he faced the Yankees, Cobb pitched for seven-plus innings and allowed no earned runs, while striking out eight in the Rays’ 5-0 win on August 15. Cobb is also coming off an impressive outing on September 5, when he pitched seven scoreless innings in the Rays’ 3-0 win against the Baltimore Orioles. Since the All-Star break, Cobb is 5-1 with an ERA mark of 1.27.
Cobb is going to be in a duel with Michael Pineda, who’s been in the zone lately, too. Considering the caliber of both pitchers, this game is likely to be decided at the plate. Enter James Loney and Wil Myers, two players who has led the Rays’ offense of late. Loney is batting .526 (10-for-19), while Myers has a .304 batting average (7-for-23) over the last seven days.
Betting on the New York Yankees
It doesn’t always work that way for the Yankees, but it was their offense that made up for the team’s pitching blunders last night, scoring an 8-5 come-from-behind victory over Tampa Bay.
A fraction of that scoring, though, might be enough for Michael Pineda (3-4, 1.80 ERA) to work out a win tonight in the third and final game of the series. The Dominican pitcher hasn’t allowed more than two earned runs in any of his last 10 starts, yet the Yankees could only come up with a 4-6 record during that stretch.
Obviously, Pineda is in dire need of support from the Yankees’ offense. He has been baffling opposing batters over his last two starts but those pair of dazzling performances were put to waste because it came at a time when the Yankees’ offense went kaput.
First was their 2-0 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays on August 30, when Pineda tossed six innings of baseball with two earned runs on seven hits. It was followed by the Yankees’ 1-0 defeat at home at the hands of the Kansas City Royals, whom Pineda allowed to score just one unearned run on three hits over seven innings of duty, last September 5th.
Brian McCann, Mark Teixeira and Chase Headley had a field day at the plate last night. Of the three, it’s the hard-hitting first baseman, who has the potential to do the most damage against Cobb. Teixeira is batting a career .444 against the Rays’ pitcher.
Writer’s Prediction
Take the Rays to win as +103 road underdogs, and the game to go under (7.0). Create a betting account now, while odds are still available.
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