The Yankees can't find a rotation to save their season and the Rays just won't lose at the Trop — this Thursday matinee is a legit gut-check for New York.
Bush’s Picks
NYYTB
NYYTB
OverUnder
Best BetRays
Tampa Bay is the easy lean here with New York still unable to name a starter and dealing with two rotation arms on the shelf. The Rays have shown all season they can win without a full roster, and there's no reason to think that changes against a Yankees team searching for answers.
Yankees
+Snapped a 7-game skid with win over Twins
+Grisham providing pop since returning
−Rodon, Fried both out with elbow issues
−Judge, Stanton, Chisholm all banged up
−No starter yet announced for this game
Rays
+52-35, one of baseball's best records
+Rode a 9-game winning streak in June/July
−Lost 2 of last 3 to Astros
−Matz, Pepiot both out for the year/extended
−Rasmussen's last start: 5 ER in 5 IP
Drew Rasmussen (7-4, 2.78) takes the ball for Tampa Bay looking to bounce back from a shaky outing, while the Yankees still haven't nailed down who they're sending to the mound. That alone tells you where each of these clubs stands right now.
New York's rotation has been in freefall for weeks. Carlos Rodon is on the 15-day IL with left elbow inflammation and isn't expected back until mid-August at the earliest, Max Fried is still working his way back from his own elbow issue, and Clarke Schmidt remains on the 60-day IL. Throw in Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton both sidelined and Jazz Chisholm Jr. banged up with a sore toe, and it's not hard to see why the lineup and staff have both looked stretched thin.
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1:10 PM ET
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NYY Yankees
TB Rays
The Rays aren't exactly at full strength either, with Steven Matz and Ryan Pepiot both out for extended stretches, but Tampa Bay has proven all year it can win without its whole roster intact. Whatever the market says about this one, it's a team that's earned the benefit of the doubt against a Yankees club still searching for stability.
New York Yankees
Jul 8?@ Rays—
Jul 7?@ Rays—
Jul 6?@ Rays—
Tampa Bay Rays
Jul 8?vs Yankees—
Jul 7?vs Yankees—
Jul 6?vs Yankees—
Recent form.
It's been a rough stretch for the Yankees no matter how you slice it. They got swept by the Tigers, briefly snapped a 7-game skid with a win over the Twins behind a Trent Grisham blast, then promptly dropped the next two games of that series. That's a team still trying to find its footing, not one riding into Tropicana Field with any real momentum.
New York Yankees
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Tampa Bay Rays
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Injury report — info via ESPN.
Tampa Bay, meanwhile, has been one of the best stories in baseball. A 9-game winning streak got snapped by the Astros over the weekend, capped by a wild 10-8 loss where Yordan Alvarez did what Yordan Alvarez does, but this is still a 52-35 club playing with real confidence at home. For a Yankees team already dealing with a MASH unit in the rotation, walking into that kind of buzz saw is about as tough a spot as it gets.
