The Rays are not supposed to be doing this. Picked by most of the league to bottom out, Tampa Bay instead enters Sunday's matinee 5 1/2 games up on the Yankees and riding the kind of run — 22 wins in their last 26 going back to late April — that turns a hot start into a real division race.
Drew Rasmussen is the absolute worst guy the Yankees could see right now. He's 4-1 with a 1.03 career ERA against New York and 3-0 with a 1.00 ERA in three starts at Yankee Stadium. Pair that with a 1.00 WHIP and a .213 opponent average on the season and you've got the Rays' best card to play in a building they don't usually love.
Ryan Weathers counters for a Yankees rotation that has been gutted. Max Fried is on the IL with a left elbow bone bruise, Clarke Schmidt is still on the 60-day, and the lineup is missing Giancarlo Stanton and Jasson Dominguez. Weathers' 3.58 ERA undersells him — his xFIP sits at 2.76 — but he's the guy now because there aren't a lot of other options.
- Day-To-DayAustin Vernon RP — The Rays have shut Vernon down from throwing due to right elbow soreness, per MLB.com.
- Day-To-DayLogan Driscoll C — The Rays released Driscoll (ankle) on Friday, Ryan Bass of FanDuel Sports Network Sun reports.
- Day-To-DayKeyshawn Askew RP — no
- Day-To-DayTre' Morgan 1B — Triple-A Durham placed Morgan on the 7-day injured list with a quad injury, Sam Dykstra of MLB Pipeline reports.
- Day-To-DayAlfredo Zarraga RP — no
- Day-To-DayTJ Nichols P — Double-A Montgomery placed Nichols on its 7-day injured list April 7 due to an unspecified injury.
- 10-Day-ILBen Williamson 2B — Rays manager Kevin Cash said that Williamson is not in the lineup for Monday's game versus the Orioles due to back tightness, Ryan Bass of Rays.tv reports.
- 10-Day-ILJake Fraley RF — Rays manager Kevin Cash said Monday that Fraley (hernia) will require surgery and will face a recovery timeline of 6-to-8 weeks, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
- Day-To-DayTravis MacGregor SP — MacGregor underwent Tommy John surgery last September and will miss the entire 2019 season, Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILJasson Dominguez LF — Dominguez (shoulder) resumed hitting off a tee Wednesday, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.
- 10-Day-ILGiancarlo Stanton DH — Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Saturday that Stanton (calf) is doing "more dynamic stuff" but isn't yet ready to ramp up running, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.
- 15-Day-ILMax Fried SP — The Yankees placed Fried on the 15-day injured list Friday due to a left elbow bone bruise, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.
- 15-Day-ILAngel Chivilli RP — Manager Aaron Boone said Tuesday that Chivilli (shoulder) will be shut down from throwing for roughly three weeks, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILClarke Schmidt SP — Schmidt (elbow) threw a bullpen session Friday, Pete Caldera of The Bergen Record reports.
Tampa isn't perfectly healthy either. Ryan Pepiot is done for the year after hip surgery, Jake Fraley needs surgery on a hernia, and Jonny DeLuca was pulled from Friday's game with a lower-body issue and is out for this one. The Rays just keep winning anyway, which is the most Rays sentence you can write.
The market has the Yankees as modest home favorites, which makes sense on paper and ignores how Rasmussen has historically chewed this lineup up. With the total kicking around 7, this profiles as a low-scoring afternoon — exactly the kind of game Tampa Bay has been winning for a month. The Yankees need to make it ugly early or this series goes home with the visitors.