Thursday, September 22, 2016

Tropicana Field

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Luis Cessa vs. Blake Snell

The New York Yankees head to Tropicana Field on Thursday to take on the Tampa Bay Rays. The probable pitchers are Luis Cessa for the Yankees and Blake Snell for the Rays. The opening line for this game has New York at +114 and Tampa Bay at -124. The over/under is 8. The Yankees have a 67-73-10 over/under mark and a 74-76-0 run line record, meaning they cover 49% of the time. The Rays are 70-80-0 against the run line and have a 74-68-8 over/under record. They cover the spread 47% of the time.

The Yankees head into this game with a 78-72 record, and they are 34-41 on the road. Starting pitcher Luis Cessa has a 4-2 record with an ERA of 4.44 and a WHIP of 1.12. He has 32 strikeouts during his 52.2 innings pitched and he has given up 48 hits so far this year. He has surrendered 8.2 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 6.17. The bullpen this season has an earned run average of 3.53 and they have allowed 386 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .218 against the pen while they've been struck out 544 times and walked 158 times this year. As a unit, New York has given up 8.59 base hits per nine innings while striking out 8.9 hitters per nine. They are 15th in the Majors in team earned run average at 4.16. The Yankees pitchers have collectively given up 1,265 base hits and 615 earned runs. They have allowed 197 home runs this season and they allow 1.3 homers per nine innings as a staff. New York as a pitching staff has walked 389 batters and struck out 1,310. They walk 2.6 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.9 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.25 and their FIP as a unit is 4.09.

As a team, New York is hitting .252, good for 21st in the league while putting together a .252 average on the road. The Yankees have a .407 team slugging percentage and an OBP of .314 which is good for 24th in the league. They rank 21st in baseball with 8.52 hits per contest. Didi Gregorius comes into this game hitting .278 and his on-base percentage is at .307. He has 145 hits this season along with 64 runs scored and 66 runs batted in. He's struck out 78 times and has walked 18 times. Brett Gardner is hitting .257 and he has an on-base percentage of .348. He has totaled 129 hits so far while scoring 74 runs and he's driven in 39. He has walked 65 times and has struck out 102 times. The Yankees have 1,278 hits, including 231 doubles and 171 home runs. They've stolen 67 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 20 times. New York has walked 434 times this season and they've struck out 1,102 times as a unit. They've left 1,015 men on base and have a team OPS of .721. They score 4.22 runs per contest and have scored a total of 633 runs so far this year.

Tampa Bay comes into this game with a 35-41 home mark and a 64-86 overall record. With an ERA of 3.87, Blake Snell has a 5-8 record and a 1.65 WHIP. He has 88 strikeouts over the 81.1 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 87 hits. He has allowed 9.6 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.5. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 4.20 and they have given up 446 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .253 against the Rays bullpen while being struck out 423 times and walking 180 times this season. As a team, Tampa Bay has allowed 8.75 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.54 batters per nine. They are 18th in the league in team earned run average at 4.19. The Rays pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,283 base knocks and 614 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 193 home runs this year and they give up 1.3 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Tampa Bay as a staff has walked 453 hitters and struck out 1,253. They give up a walk 3.1 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.5 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.32 while their FIP as a staff is 4.23.

As a team, they are batting .244, good for 26th in the league while putting together a .235 average at home. The Rays hold a .429 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .309 which is good for 27th in baseball. They rank 26th in baseball with 8.26 hits per contest. Logan Forsythe comes into this matchup batting .279 and he has an OBP of .350. He has 129 hits this year along with 73 runs scored and 51 RBI. He's struck out 111 times and has walked on 44 occasions. Evan Longoria is hitting .281 and he has an OBP of .325. He has collected 165 hits so far while he's scored 79 runs and drove in 94. He has earned a walk 39 times and has punched out 134 times. The Rays as a unit have 1,239 base hits, including 258 doubles and 205 homers. They have 57 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 35 times. Tampa Bay as a team has walked 425 times this year and they have struck out 1,367 times. They've had 982 men left on base and have an OPS of .738. They score 4.23 runs per game and have totaled 635 runs so far this season.

New York Yankees Betting Trends

The New York Yankees are 67-73-10 against the over/under so far this season

The New York Yankees are 74-76-0 against the run line so far this season

Tampa Bay Rays Betting Trends

The Tampa Bay Rays are 74-68-8 against the over/under so far this season

The Tampa Bay Rays are 70-80-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

New York Yankees

09/20/16 3B Chase Headley Back "?" Wednesday vs. Tampa Bay Rays
09/20/16 CF Jacoby Ellsbury Knee "?" Wednesday vs. Tampa Bay Rays
09/19/16 2B Starlin Castro Hamstring out indefinitely
09/15/16 RF Aaron Judge Oblique expected to miss the rest of the regular season
09/08/16 P Chad Green Elbow 60-day DL (9/3)
08/13/16 P Nathan Eovaldi Elbow 15-day DL (8/11)
05/31/16 LF Dustin Ackley Shoulder 60-day DL (5/29), out for season
03/31/16 1B Gregory Bird Shoulder 60-day DL (3/25); out for season

Tampa Bay Rays

09/20/16 RF Steven Souza Hip out for season
09/17/16 1B Logan Morrison Wrist 60-day DL (9/16)
09/07/16 SS Matt Duffy Heel out for season
08/07/16 LF Desmond Jennings Knee 15-day DL (8/3); out for season
08/07/16 P Enny Romero Back 15-day DL (8/4)

Josh's Pick: Take the Rays

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