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Tampa Bay Rays at New York Yankees Pro Baseball Odds

The Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees open up a three-game American League East series Friday night at Yankee Stadium. 

Tampa Bay is doing its best to remain in the playoff race by completing a four-game home sweep of the Kansas City Royals Thursday afternoon.  The Rays will still enter this particular series 8.5 games back of the Yankees, who are currently in second place in the AL East standings.  “It’s not going to happen overnight,” said Rays manager Joe Maddon.  “It just doesn’t work that way.”  The club was expected to make one last run this month, posting a 60-34 record in the month of August since 2008.  Tampa Bay is 4-5 in the season series against New York in 2011 and 30-65 in the last 95 meetings in the Bronx.

Rays starting pitcher David Price is 9-10 with a 3.89 ERA in 24 starts this season and is looking to snap a personal three-game losing streak.  The left-hander has received just six runs of support over his last four outings, as he’s allowed 13 runs and 25 hits in 24 2/3 innings in that span.  Price will be making his 12th start on the road, coming in with a winning 5-4 mark and 4.24 ERA.  In 11 career games (10 starts) versus the Yankees, he is 3-2 with a 3.97 ERA, including a 1-1 record and 5.53 ERA in five outings at the current Yankee Stadium.  He is winless in three starts versus the Bronx Bombers in 2011, giving up 11 runs and 19 hits over 17 1/3 frames.

New York won its series with the Los Angeles Angels by capturing a 6-5 home win Thursday afternoon, improving the team’s MLB-best daytime record to 32-8 this season.  “It’s a big lift for us, because obviously this is one of the teams we’re competing against for a playoff spot,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi stated.  The Yankees have enjoyed great success against the AL West this season, producing a 19-8 record, but will now focus their attention back on the division.  New York’s 77-35 (.688) all-time home record versus Tampa Bay is its highest winning percentage against any AL team.

Yankees starting pitcher CC Sabathia is 16-6 with a 2.81 ERA in 25 starts this season and is currently tied with Detroit’s Justin Verlander for the Major League lead in wins.  He is coming off a dismal performance against the Red Sox, allowing a season-high seven runs in a 10-4 loss.  Sabathia is 16-2 with a 2.11 ERA against all teams other than Boston this year.  The left-hander has won just two of 11 starts against Tampa Bay since coming to New York prior to the 2009 season, posting a 2-5 record and 3.60 ERA.  He recorded a complete-game loss in a 2-1 Yankees defeat in his last start against the Rays on July 21 at Tropicana Field (8 IP, 2 ER).

At the time of this writing, the New York Yankees are -205 home favorites and the total stands at 7.5 Under (-115)