Yankees And Rays Should Find Ways To Score Early And Often

Yankees vs. Rays, 6:50 ET

It was finally a nice day for readers after a lot of mediocrity. We were able to grab a win on the diamond, and a very profitable one if you played the Cubs and the under as suggested. I won't take credit for the Cubs victory, and officially went 1-0 in baseball yesterday, but it has been a year of me sharing thoughts of "I do think X could happen." I probably need to just start playing those in addition to my official plays. Either way, we captured that and got a win in the WNBA game, now pushing that record to 9-2 for the Outkick articles. We are back on the diamond here and focus on another couple of AL East teams as the Yankees take on the Rays.

The Yankees have been one of the best teams in baseball for the entire season. Even right now they have one of the best records in the game and are playing consistent baseball. It helps to have two of the best players in baseball on your team. It helps even more having them both healthy and absolutely mashing the ball. Recently they got back their Ace as well, so the team should be in a prime position for a postseason appearance and even a deep run in the playoffs. Only time will tell, and the season could go down the tubes if Aaron Judge gets hurt again, but let's assume he stays healthy. The biggest question for the team will then be: Will they make the playoffs as a division winner, or will they make the team as a Wild Card winner? Not a bad situation to be in as we head into the All-Star Break. Tonight, they have Nestor Cortes taking the ball, and Cortes has been interesting this season. At home, Cortes is one of the best pitchers in baseball, throwing to a 1.81 ERA and allowing a total of 13 earned run over 64.2 innings. On the road, he has not been as reliable. In nine starts, he has a 5.63 ERA and has allowed 29 earned runs in just 46.1 innings. Clearly, he is more comfortable pitching in New York than he is on the road. This is a trend for many pitchers as they are very routine based, but this is a very drastic split. He has faced Tampa twice this yer and has allowed four earned runs over 12.1 innings. In New York, he went seven scoreless innings against them. In Tampa, he went 5.1 and allowed five earned runs, including two homers and three walks.

Sep 27, 2023; Toronto, Ontario, CAN;  New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge (99) hits a two run home run against the Toronto Blue Jays in the seventh inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

The Rays are making waves in more than one way. Off of the diamond, Wander Franco is back in the news as he was formally charged for sexual exploitation of a minor. He will certainly never see a baseball diamond again. Even if it isn't true, he is unlikely to play ever again - just as Trevor Bauer how false claims can derail a career. With Franco there is certainly more evidence, but this officially should close a chapter of the Rays. As for the team that is actually playing, on July 4th, they ended the day at 44-43, above .500 for the first time since May 20th. They then went on to lose four of their past five games and put them at a 45-47 record coming into today. They are 12 games back of the division and 5.5 back of the final Wild Card spot. I'd guess that they are going to look to add at the deadline, but there has been some rumbling about them trading away Randy Arozarena so who knows what they will do. All we know is that tonight they face the Yankees and Shane Baz is starting for them. Baz made his first start of the season last week and went six innings against the Rangers, allowing just three earned runs. Unfortunately for him, the Rays were blanked and they lost the game. Still, you can't ask for much more than a quality start from your starter. Baz produced that, now it is on the offense to find a way to contribute. He has faced Yankees hitters a total of 10 times in his career and they are 4-for-10. Judge has homered against him.

If Baz had more starts under his belt, I'd feel a bit more confident in him leading the Rays to victory. As it stands though, I do expect the Rays to win the game and probably win the first five innings. Even though I said I need to pull the trigger, I just can't get there. It is a strong lean though to the Rays in the first five and full game. My official play is over 8 runs for the game. Cortes has been bad on the road and Baz probably won't be able to keep the Yankees lineup down. I'll back the over here even with the Rays offense struggling.

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