The two top teams in baseball play the second game of a three-game series in Saturday MLB betting as the New York Yankees host the Tampa Bay Rays.
The Yankees will be favored in baseball betting odds since they are at home but the pitching edge in this game will be with the Rays.MLB betting odds almost always favor the Yankees even if the pitching matchup does not. Tampa Bay is expected to send Jeff Niemann to the mound on Saturday. He is 7-2 on the season with a 2.77 ERA. In his last three starts he is 1-0 with a 3.06 ERA. In his career against the Yankees, Niemann is 1-0 with a 2.93 ERA.
A.J. Burnett gets the ball for New York on Saturday. He has the ability to be very good but far too often he is not. He is 7-7 on the season with a 4.75 ERA. He has been a little better in his last three starts as he is 1-1 with a 4.32 ERA. He has done very well in his career against the Rays, going 12-5 with a 2.98 ERA although he was beaten by Tampa Bay in his last start against them.
Before yesterday’s game, the Yankees were 11-9 in the last 20 games against the Rays. The road team had won four of the five games between the two teams this season. Many of the games have gone over the total as before this series started, the last six had gone over the total in baseball betting.
Tampa Bay has actually been better vs. the MLB betting odds on the road this season. The Rays have a very good lineup and solid pitching and they are very capable of winning at New York. The Rays are the only team in the league that has hitting and pitching that ranks in the top five in the league. Some teams have one or the other but the Rays have both.
The Yankees have been very good at home and on the road. They have a little bit better hitting than Tampa Bay and slightly worse pitching. It is very close though and overall the Yankees have a slight lead in the American League East over the Rays.