The Tampa Bay Rays host the New York Yankees tonight, Monday July 21st, as C.C. Sabathia tries for eight straight wins in a row. The Yankees have won two of three in this four game series. MLB oddsmakers have the Yankees as -135 moneyline road favorites over the Rays (+125) with the over/under set at 7 runs. Be sure to get your New York Yankees vs Tampa Bay Rays prediction in now.
NY Yankees (57-38, 27-19 V) have won six of their last ten games and four of their last seven on the road. The Yankees won for the fourth time in five games to remain 1 1/2 games behind Boston in the AL East. Tampa Bay has lost six of eight to fall a season-high eight games out of first. Granderson is 3 for 9 in this series after he had a two-run homer Wednesday. He was also hit by a pitch for the second straight night. Against Rays pitcher James Shields, Robinson Cano is a .383 hitter in 47 at-bats, while Derek Jeter (.310) and Jorge Posada (.303) have also fared well. The opposite is true for Curtis Granderson (3 for 37), Mark Teixeira (6 for 37) and Nick Swisher (5 for 23).
Birthday boy C.C. Sabathia (14-4, 2.64 ERA) has posted a 1.68 ERA over his last seven starts, with 50 strikeouts and two runs allowed in 39 2/3 innings in his last five. He's seeking to win eight consecutive outings for the first time since June 3-July 11, 2010. But, he isn’t his best on his big day. He went 0-1 with a 9.35 ERA in the first two with Cleveland in 2002 and 2006. Sabathia is 2-4 with a 3.76 ERA in 10 starts against the Rays (51-45) since joining the Yankees (57-38) in 2009. He pitched a four-hitter in his lone 2011 start against them July 10, striking out nine in a 1-0 victory. C.C. will try for his major league-leading 15th victory and eighth in a row.
Tampa Bay (51-45, 23-25 H) has lost six of their last ten games and have lost four of six at home. They Rays got shut out for the third time in seven games, 4-0 on Wednesday. They have scored seven runs over their last 42 innings. "These shutouts are really tough to watch sometimes," manager Joe Maddon said.
James Shields (8-8, 2.60) was the loser, against the Yanks, as he gave up an unearned run and pitched a four-hitter of his own. Shields fell to 3-10 with a 4.47 ERA against the Yankees, and he's 1-5 with a 3.83 ERA in eight home outings in the series entering this rematch. Shields gave up six runs over six innings Saturday in a 9-5 loss to Boston, falling to 0-4 with a 4.00 ERA in his last four starts.
Recent Trends to Consider:
Yankees are 4-1 in the last 5 meetings.
Under is 4-1 in Shields' last 5 starts vs. Yankees.
Under is 5-2 in the last 7 meetings.
Rays are 2-6 in Shields' last 8 home starts vs. Yankees.
Rays are 4-13 in Shields' last 17 starts vs. Yankees.
Yankees are 1-4 in Sabathias last 5 road starts vs. Rays.
New York Yankees vs Tampa Bay Rays
When: Thursday July 21st@7:10 PM ET
Pick: Yankees -135
Point-Spreads recommends you check out MLB Odds before the New York Yankees vs Tampa Bay Rays game.
The Bottom Line: Sabathia has reason to throw good tonight. Be sure to get your New York Yankees vs Tampa Bay Rays prediction in now.
