Tampa Bay Rays at New York Yankees Expert MLB Picks 5/18/2019

Saturday, May 18, 2019

Yankee Stadium

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Blake Snell vs. Masahiro Tanaka

Yankee Stadium is the site where Gleyber Torres and the New York Yankees (26-16, 2nd in AL East) will take on the Tampa Bay Rays (26-15, 1st in AL East) on Saturday. The Rays open this game at -115 while the Yankees are coming in at +105. The over/under has been set at 8.

The Rays have been lousy for Vegas oddsmakers, having gone 26-15-0 SU. The Yankees are covering 61.9% of the time, going 26-16-0 straight up. The Rays have been lousy for Vegas oddsmakers as favorites, going 21-14-0 SU. New York has gone 3-5-0 straight up as the underdog, so they are covering 37.5% of the time.

Valuable Tampa Bay Rays Betting Trends

The Rays have been a great Under choice for over/under wagerers, having gone 17-22-2.

Tampa Bay covers 73.7% of the time as the visitor, having gone 14-5-0 straight up.

Important New York Yankees Betting Trends

The Yankees are covering 62.5% of the time at Yankee Stadium, going 15-9-0 SU.

The Yankees have been a good Over choice for over/under wagerers, having gone 22-19-1.

Key Tampa Bay Rays Injuries

05/17/19 C Anthony Bemboom Knee 10-day IL (05/15)
05/16/19 3B Yandy Diaz Ankle left last game, is questionable Friday vs New York Yankees
05/11/19 P Tyler Glasnow Forearm 10-day IL (05/11)
05/10/19 C Mike Zunino Quad 10-day IL (05/09)
05/08/19 C Michael Perez Oblique 10-day IL (05/08)
05/02/19 P Hunter Wood Shoulder 10-day IL (05/02)
04/26/19 2B Joey Wendle Wrist 10-day IL (04/25)
03/30/19 P Anthony Banda Elbow 10-day IL (03/28)
03/28/19 P Jose De Leon Elbow 60-day IL (03/28)
03/28/19 3B Matt Duffy Hamstring 60-day IL (03/25)

Key New York Yankees Injuries

05/15/19 3B Miguel Andujar Shoulder 10-day IL (05/13); is out for season
05/13/19 P Jonathan Loaisiga Shoulder 60-day IL (05/10)
05/04/19 P James Paxton Knee 10-day IL (05/04)
04/21/19 RF Aaron Judge Side 10-day IL (04/20)
04/17/19 1B Greg Bird Foot 60-day IL (04/14)
04/17/19 CF Jacoby Ellsbury Hip 60-day IL (03/25)
04/03/19 SS Troy Tulowitzki Calf 10-day IL (04/03)
04/01/19 DH Giancarlo Stanton Biceps 10-day IL (04/01)
03/30/19 P Ben Heller Elbow 10-day IL (03/25)
03/25/19 P Dellin Betances Shoulder 60-day IL (03/25)
03/25/19 SS Didi Gregorius Elbow 60-day IL (03/25)
03/25/19 P Jordan Montgomery Elbow 60-day IL (03/23)
03/25/19 P Luis Severino Shoulder 60-day IL (03/25)

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Rays have a 26-15 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Blake Snell has a 3-4 record with an earned run average of 3.56 and a WHIP of 0.98 this season. He has 62 strikeouts over his 43 innings pitched and he's given up 31 hits. He's allowed 6.5 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 2.88. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.20 and they have given up 153 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .220 against the bullpen and they've struck out 198 hitters and walked 67 batters. As a team, Tampa Bay allows 6.8 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.9 batters per nine innings. They are 1st in the league in team earned run average at 2.82. The Rays pitchers collectively have given up 283 base hits and 117 earned runs. They have allowed 35 home runs this season, ranking them 30th in the league. Tampa Bay as a pitching staff has walked 115 batters and struck out 412. They have walked 2.8 men per 9 innings while striking out 9.9 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.06 and their FIP as a unit is 3.15.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Tampa Bay is hitting .254, good for 9th in the league. The Rays hold a .429 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .334, which is good for 8th in baseball. They rank 9th in MLB with 8.7 hits per game. Brandon Lowe is hitting .285 with an on-base percentage of .336. He has 39 hits this season in 137 at bats with 22 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .533 and an OPS+ of 131. Tommy Pham is hitting .283 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .399. He has totaled 43 hits and he has driven in 18 men in 152 at bats. His OPS+ is 126 while his slugging percentage is at .428. The Rays have 356 hits, including 72 doubles and 49 home runs. Tampa Bay has walked 156 times so far this season and they have struck out 390 times as a unit. They have left 300 men on base and have a team OPS of .763. They score 4.51 runs per contest and have scored a total of 185 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

New York has a 26-16 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 3.44, Masahiro Tanaka has a 3-3 record and a 1.20 WHIP. He has 47 strikeouts over the 52.1 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 49 hits. He's allowing 8.4 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.1. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.10 and they have given up 125 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .226 against the Yankees bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 180 batters and walked 63 opposing hitters. As a team, New York allows 7.7 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.6 batters per nine innings. They are 7th in the league in team earned run average at 3.74. The Yankees pitchers as a team have surrendered 319 base knocks and 155 earned runs this season. They have given up 55 home runs this year, which ranks 16th in Major League Baseball. New York as a staff has walked 137 hitters and struck out 399 batters. They give up a walk 3.3 times per 9 innings while they strike out 9.6 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.22 while their FIP as a staff is 4.05.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .251, good for 13th in the league. The Yankees hold a .433 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .330, which is good for 12th in baseball. They rank 17th in MLB with 8.3 hits per contest. Gleyber Torres comes into this matchup batting .290 with an OBP of .325. He has 45 hits this year along with 20 RBI in 155 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .510 with an OPS+ of 118. Luke Voit is hitting .242 this season and he has an OBP of .363. He has collected 36 hits in 149 at bats while driving in 32 runs. He has an OPS+ of 121 and a slugging percentage of .470. The Yankees as a unit have 349 base hits, including 62 doubles and 62 homers. New York has walked 149 times this year and they have struck out on 361 occasions. They have had 271 men left on base and have an OPS of .763. They have scored 4.95 runs per game and totaled 208 runs this season.

Who will win tonight's Rays/Yankees MLB game against the spread?

Josh's Pick: Take the Yankees +105

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