Yankees vs. Rays Prediction, Betting Tips & Picks 6/20/2022

Coming off of a 2-1 series win over the Blue Jays, the New York Yankees (49-17) are -128 favorites to pick up the win in Game 1 of a three-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays (36-30). The series begins at Tropicana Field, starting on Monday at 7:10 PM ET. New York’s Gerrit Cole and Tampa Bay’s Shane McClanahan have been named the starters for this contest.

Yankees vs. Rays Spread and Betting Line

Computer Predictions for Yankees vs. Rays

Our computer pick: Tampa Bay Rays (+109) and Over (6.5)

Yankees vs. Rays Game Info

• New York Yankees probable starting pitcher: Gerrit Cole
• Tampa Bay Rays probable starting pitcher: Shane McClanahan
• Game Day: Monday, June 20, 2022
• Game Time: 7:10 PM ET
• Location: St. Petersburg, Florida
• Stadium: Tropicana Field

New York Yankees vs Tampa Bay Rays Pitching Matchup

Yankees Starter Gerrit Cole

• The Yankees will send Cole (6-1) out for his 14th start of the season. He is 6-1 with a 3.33 ERA and 91 strikeouts in 73 innings pitched.
• In his last appearance on Tuesday, the right-hander tossed six scoreless innings against the Tampa Bay Rays while surrendering five hits.
• The 31-year-old has put up a 3.33 ERA and 11.2 strikeouts per nine innings in 13 games this season, while giving up a batting average of .213 to opposing hitters.
• Cole has eight quality starts under his belt this season.
• Cole has pitched five or more innings in a game 10 times this year entering this game.
• He will face off against a Rays offense that ranks 25th in MLB with 511 total hits (on a .232 batting average). The team also slugs a collective .371 (26th in MLB) with 60 total home runs (22nd in MLB).
• In 12 innings over two appearances against the Rays this season, Cole has a 0.75 ERA and a 0.917 WHIP while his opponents are hitting .167.
• Among qualifying pitchers in MLB play this season, the 31-year-old’s 3.33 ERA ranks 33rd, 1.055 WHIP ranks 19th, and 11.2 K/9 ranks fourth.

Rays Starter Shane McClanahan

• McClanahan (7-3) will take to the mound for the Rays and make his 14th start of the season.
• The left-hander’s last start was on Wednesday, when he tossed six innings while giving up one earned run on three hits in a matchup with the New York Yankees.
• The 25-year-old has pitched to a 1.84 ERA this season with 12.1 strikeouts per nine innings compared to 1.7 walks per nine across 13 games.
• He’s going for his eighth quality start in a row.
• McClanahan will look to pitch five or more innings for the 12th start in a row.
• The Yankees are batting .247 this season, 11th in MLB. They have a team slugging percentage of .442 (first in the league) with 110 home runs.
• The Yankees have gone 10-for-45 with three home runs and two RBI in 12 innings this season against the left-hander.
• Among qualified pitchers in the majors this campaign, the 25-year-old ranks third in ERA (1.84), first in WHIP (.855), and second in K/9 (12.1).

Yankees Betting Picks & Insights

• This season, the Yankees have won 44 out of the 60 games, or 73.3%, in which they’ve been favored.
• New York has entered 54 games this season favored by -128 or more and is 39-15 in those contests.
• The Yankees have a 56.1% chance to win this game based on the implied probability of the moneyline.
• New York and its opponents have gone over the total this season in 29 of their 65 opportunities.
• The Yankees have an ATS record of 34-31-0 in 65 games with a spread this season.

Rays Betting Picks & Insights

• The Rays have been victorious in six, or 35.3%, of the 17 contests they have been chosen as underdogs in this season.
• This season, Tampa Bay has been victorious three times in eight chances when named as an underdog of at least +109 or longer on the moneyline.
• The Rays have an implied victory probability of 47.8% according to the moneyline set for this matchup.
• Contests with Tampa Bay have gone over the total set by oddsmakers in 29 of 66 chances this season.
• The Rays have an against the spread mark of 30-36-0 in 66 games with a line this season.

Yankees Leaders & Batting Stats

• Aaron Judge is the bat to watch in the Yankees lineup, leading the team in batting average (.305), home runs (25), and RBI (50).
• Among all hitters in MLB, Judge ranks first in home runs and sixth in RBI.
• Anthony Rizzo is hitting .229 with 10 doubles, a triple, 18 home runs and 28 walks.
• Rizzo is fifth in homers and eighth in RBI on the season.
• Rizzo heads into this matchup looking for his fifth game in a row with a hit. In his last five games he is batting .429 with three home runs, three walks and seven RBI.
• Gleyber Torres is batting .267 with 12 doubles, a triple, 13 home runs and 13 walks.
• Torres has at least one base hit in three games in a row. In his last five games he is hitting .438 with four doubles, a home run, a walk and four RBI.
• DJ LeMahieu is hitting .263 with 12 doubles, six home runs and 24 walks.

Rays Leaders & Batting Stats

• Randy Arozarena has launched a team-best seven home runs.
• In all of the majors, Arozarena is 88th in home runs and 67th in RBI.
• Yandy Diaz is batting .275 to lead the lineup.
• Diaz ranks 228th overall in home runs and 247th in RBI this year.
• Manuel Margot is hitting .303 with 11 doubles, a triple, three home runs and 17 walks.
• Ji-Man Choi has plated a team-best 34 runs batted in.

Betting Tips for Yankees vs. Rays

After looking at all of the key stats and trends for this matchup, our best bet is the Rays on the moneyline at +109. Our computer prediction sees the scoring going over the total of 6.5 runs.