The New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays square off on Monday, June 20 with first pitch set for 7:10 p.m. ET. The game takes place at Tropicana Field in Saint Petersburg, FL and will only be available on local TV or through an MLB.tv subscription. Gerrit Cole is set to start for the Yankees, while Shane McClanahan gets the nod for the Rays.
So far this season the Yankees have been the best team in baseball. They’re currently 49-17 as the closest team is the Mets who are 44-24. Both the Yankees hitting and pitching has been phenomenal this season. Aaron Judge has been the best hitter in baseball to this point, with a .305 average and 25 home runs plus 50 runs batted in. On the mound, Gerrit Cole has surprisingly been one of the disappointments for the Yankees. Of all their starters, Cole has the highest ERA at 3.33 which isn’t terrible, but he’s been better.
The Tampa Bay Rays have been their normal selves in terms of the past few seasons. Not too long ago, Wander Franco went to the IL with an oblique injury. Once they get him back, they will be much stronger. Ji-Man Choi has been one of the Rays best hitters this season. He’s hitting .289 with six home runs and 34 runs batted in. On the mound, Shane McClanahan has been one of the best pitchers in baseball. He’s 7-3 with a 1.84 ERA and 105 strikeouts.
Yankees vs. Rays
Pitchers: Gerrit Cole vs. Shane McClanahan
First pitch: 7:10 p.m. ET
Yankees local broadcast: YES
Rays local broadcast: Bally Sports Sun
Live stream: MLB.tv (subscription)
Odds, picks & predictions
Point spread: Yankees -1.5
Run total: 6.5
Moneyline odds: Yankees -130, Rays +110
Moneyline pick: Yankees -130
While both teams are coming off losses, the Yankees played much better than the Rays. The Yankees won the series against the Blue Jays, while the Rays split the series with the Orioles. I expect a quality start from Gerrit Cole tonight and the Yankees to get their 50th win of the season.
Player prop pick: Gleyber Torres over 1.5 total bases (+135)
In their series against the Toronto Blue Jays, Torres was 7-11 with a home run, four doubles, and four runs batted in. He went over this total in every game against the Blue Jays. Prior to the season, people thought the Yankees could be looking for a replacement for Torres, but he’s found a good role this season. In his career against Shane McClanahan, Torres is 6-11 with a home run and a run batted in. Look for another big game from Torres in this one.
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