Rays vs Yankees Prediction and Betting Odds May 26
Tampa Bay Rays vs New York Yankees Betting Preview
WagerTalk MLB handicapper Andy Lang offers his Tampa Bay Rays vs New York Yankees betting preview for Thursday, May 26 with first pitch scheduled for 6:40pm ET / 3:40pm PT. Nestor Cortes continues to stun opposing teams sporting a 1.80 ERA on the season so far as he takes the mound tonight.
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| Thursday, May 26 | MLB Betting Notes, Courtesy of Caesars |
|---|---|
| Moneyline: | Tampa Bay Rays +109 vs New York Yankees -119 |
| Runline: | Rays +1.5 (-160) / Yankees -1.5 (+140) |
| Total: | 7.5 Runs (Over -100 / Under -120) |
| Game Time: | 6:40pm ET / 3:40pm PT |
| Where: | Tropicana Field in Tampa, FL |
| Weather: | Dome |
Rays vs Yankees Analysis
The New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays meet in the first game of a four game series with only 4.5 games separating the teams in the American League East.
The Yankees are 31-13 while the Rays are right behind them at 26-17. Tampa Bay is coming off a short two game sweep of the Miami Marlins, while New York took two of three from the Baltimore Orioles.
Ryan Yarbrough gets the nod for Tampa while Nestor Cortes toes the rubber for the Yankees. First pitch is slated for 6:40 PM EST/3:40 PST.
Rays Ready For Yankees
The Tampa Bay Rays have won five of their last seven games after sweeping two games from their in-state rivals the Miami Marlins. They won 5-4 yesterday behind a five run first inning. Wander Franco went 2 for 4 with a double, while Harold Ramirez hit a two run blast.
Drew Rasmussen kept his team in the game with five innings of three run baseball and the bullpen did the rest. Tampa Bay is tied with New York for 13th with a .241 batting average while their OPS isn’t nearly as high at .699.
Ryan Yarbrough will take the mound for the Rays, he has made three starts and four total appearances. Yarbrough is 0-0 with a 4.20 ERA and 1.67 WHIP.
Yankees Remain Consistent
The New York Yankees won a 2-1 series with a 2-0 victory over Baltimore Orioles. J.P. Sears started for the Yanks, tossing five shutout innings and collecting the win.
Clay Holmes slammed the door in the 9th and earned the save. New York scored their runs on an Orioles error and a Miguel Andujar RBI single.
The Yankee offense is one of the most formidable in the game as they rank 4th with a .735 OPS. However, they will now be without the services of their cleanup hitter Giancarlo Stanton who is now on the 10 day IL.
Today the Bronx Bombers turn to Nestor Cortes who has pitched close to a Cy Young candidate level this season. He is 3-1 with a 1.89 ERA and 0.90 WHIP, while striking out the 10th most batters amongst qualifying pitchers.
Rays vs Yankees Prediction
The money line is set at -125 for the New York Yankees and +105 for the Tampa Bay Rays with a total of 7.5. Nestor Cortes is making the case that he is the true ace of the Yankees staff with his fifth best ERA and WHIP.
The Rays have 40 at bats against Cortes and are batting only .250 with only three extra base hits. The Yankee offense can still mash even without Giancarlo Stanton.
Aaron Judge is 4 for 12 with a pair of doubles against Ryan Yarbrough and Jose Trevino is 2 for 3 with a pair of singles. I’m going to back New York on a short money line here.
Prediction: New York Yankees Moneyline -125
Interested in placing a bet on Thursday’s Rays vs Yankees AL East showdown? Caesars Sports is offering up to a $1,500 match bet for first-time deposits in New Jersey, West Virginia, Colorado, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Virginia, Tennessee, Arizona, New York and Louisiana.
First Pitch | MLB Betting Preview for May 26
Join Drew Martin and a rotating panel of guests for First Pitch as we break down the daily baseball slate from a betting perspective. Nestor Cortes has taken the Bronx by storm this spring with a 1.80 ERA in eight starts. Can he keep the run going against Tampa Bay tonight? Join WagerTalk’s team of MLB betting experts every weekday at 1:45pm ET / 10:45am PT for First Pitch as we discuss the baseball betting slate.
Daily MLB Game Previews and Predictions
See all of the daily MLB predictions and picks by WagerTalk and Sportsmemo handicappers to assist you in betting. We breakdown various games from a betting perspective all across the league. View all of our daily game previews using the links below!
WagerTalk Live Odds Screen
WagerTalk’s Live Odds Screen features up-to-the-minute lines from a variety of offshore and domestic sports books. Track the MLB moneylines, run lines and betting percentages for all of Thursday’s baseball games, including this Rays vs Yankees showdown, from your desktop or phone.
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Meet the Author
Andy Lang has lived in Indianapolis his whole life, and like most people from the Hoosier State, he became fascinated with motor sports. That interest in motor sports turned into a desire to make money off the sport through fantasy contests and sports betting. Like most, he took his lumps when he first got started, but now he is one of the most respected NASCAR bettors in the industry. Andy has expanded that sports betting experience to become profitable in a number of other sports, transforming this interest from a side hobby to a major source of income.
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