New York Yankees vs Tampa Bay Rays Predictions, MLB Picks, Betting Tips 8/9/2020

Game: New York Yankees vs Tampa Bay Rays

Date: Sunday, August 9, 2020

Location: Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, FL

TV: SUN/YES

Odds/Point Spread: Yankees (-115) Rays (-105)

DJ LeMahieu and the New York Yankees (9-4, 1st in AL East) travel to Tropicana Field on Sunday where they'll meet the Tampa Bay Rays (6-7, 3rd in AL East). The Rays open this game at -105 while the Yankees are coming in at -115. The over/under is set at 8.5. The pitchers expected to start will be James Paxton and Charlie Morton.

Key New York Yankees Injuries

8/8/2020 Kyle Higashioka C Oblique Expected to be out until at least Aug 18
8/6/2020 Tommy Kahnle RP Elbow Out for the season
8/5/2020 Aroldis Chapman RP Not Injury Related Expected to be out until at least Aug 14
6/28/2020 Luis Severino SP Elbow Out for the season

Key Tampa Bay Rays Injuries

8/7/2020 Manuel Margot LF Not Injury Related Expected to be out until at least Aug 9
8/6/2020 Yonny Chirinos SP Triceps Expected to be out until at least Aug 13
8/5/2020 Randy Arozarena CF Not Injury Related Expected to be out until at least Aug 12
7/21/2020 Colin Poche RP Elbow Out for the season

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Yankees have a 9-4 overall record this season. Paxton (56-33 career record) is the owner of a FIP of 3.33 and he has faced 3,060 opposing hitters in the majors. His ERA is 3.55 (291 earned runs allowed) and he has a WHIP of 1.217. He has given up 673 hits (8.2 hits per 9 innings) and has had 224 walks. Paxton has taken the hill for 737 frames and has 808 K's thus far in his career. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.29 and they have given up 35 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .161 against the bullpen and they've struck out 60 hitters and walked 20 batters. As a team, New York allows 7.2 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.8 batters per nine innings. They are 14th in the league in team earned run average at 4.08. The Yankees pitchers collectively have given up 85 base hits and 48 earned runs. They have allowed 17 home runs this season, ranking them 7th in the league. New York as a pitching staff has walked 38 batters and struck out 104. They have walked 3.2 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.8 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.16 and their FIP as a unit is 4.34.

Related: Get MLB picks & tips on all of today's games

Hitting Statistics

As a team New York is hitting .244, good for 8th in the league. The Yankees hold a .456 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .326, which is good for 8th in baseball. They rank 14th in MLB with 7.6 hits per game. DJ LeMahieu is hitting .422 with an on-base percentage of .447. He has 19 hits this season in 45 at bats with 5 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .578 and an OPS+ of 190. Aaron Judge is hitting .277 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .333. He has totaled 13 hits and he has driven in 17 men in 47 at bats. His OPS+ is 201 while his slugging percentage is at .766. The Yankees have 99 hits, including 14 doubles and 24 home runs. New York has walked 42 times so far this season and they have struck out 114 times as a unit. They have left 78 men on base and have a team OPS of .782. They score 5 runs per contest and have scored a total of 65 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Tampa Bay has a 6-7 overall mark this year. In his pro baseball career, Morton has surrendered 1,377 hits while he has tallied 1,250 strikeouts in 1,415 innings. He has given up 642 earned runs while earning a WHIP of 1.333 and having a FIP of 3.9. He has a strikeout to walk ratio of 2.45 and he has faced 6,095 hitters in his MLB career. Morton (92-88 win-loss record in his career) holds a 4.08 earned run average while allowing 8.8 hits per nine innings. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.05 and they have given up 55 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .217 against the Rays bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 71 batters and walked 21 opposing hitters. As a team, Tampa Bay allows 8.3 hits per nine innings while striking out 10.4 batters per nine innings. They are 7th in the league in team earned run average at 3.35. The Rays pitchers as a team have surrendered 107 base knocks and 43 earned runs this season. They have given up 14 home runs this year, which ranks 18th in Major League Baseball. Tampa Bay as a staff has walked 41 hitters and struck out 134 batters. They give up a walk 3.2 times per 9 innings while they strike out 10.4 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.28 while their FIP as a staff is 3.47.

Related: Gambling 101 - MLB Betting Tips - Tony George of Doc’s Sports

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .203, good for 29th in the league. The Rays hold a .350 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .294, which is good for 22nd in baseball. They rank 28th in MLB with 6.5 hits per contest. Brandon Lowe comes into this matchup batting .283 with an OBP of .353. He has 13 hits this year along with 9 RBI in 46 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .565 with an OPS+ of 160. Joey Wendle is hitting .323 this season and he has an OBP of .344. He has collected 10 hits in 31 at bats while driving in 2 runs. He has an OPS+ of 145 and a slugging percentage of .516. The Rays as a unit have 84 base hits, including 21 doubles and 10 homers. Tampa Bay has walked 50 times this year and they have struck out on 121 occasions. They have had 76 men left on base and have an OPS of .644. They have scored 4 runs per game and totaled 52 runs this season.

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

Guy's Pick: Take the Yankees (-115)

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here