Two slow starters in the AL East will continue their second series of the young MLB betting season on Saturday, with the Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees clashing for another game in this series.
Tampa Bay righted a rough start in the first series, winning two of three as it opened its home schedule. Can New York answer with a strong showing in the Bronx? Find out in our free picks and predictions for Rays vs. Yankees on April 17 at 1:05 p.m. ET.
Rays vs Yankees odds
Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.
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MLB sharp money and line movement report
By Patrick EversonTampa Bay went up as a -112 favorite Friday night at FanDuel and peaked at -122 a couple of times. But the moneyline jumped the fence this morning to as far as New York -118 and is a -108 pick 'em at 11:45 a.m. ET. It's two-way action, with 57 percent of tickets on the Rays and 57 percent of money on the Pinstripes. The total opened at 8 (Under -115) and is down to 7.5 (Over -112), with the Under seeing 56 percent of bets/58 percent of money.
Check out the full line movement for this gameRays vs Yankees betting preview
Starting pitchers
Tyler Glasnow (1-0, 0.46 ERA): Despite seeing two no-decisions in his first two starts of the year, Tampa ace Tyler Glasnow has been phenomenal to begin the season. Through 19 2-3 innings, Glasnow has allowed just seven hits and one run, while punching out 29 batters.
Jordan Montgomery (1-0, 3.27 ERA): Montgomery will make his third start of the season and second against the Rays. Through 11 innings pitched in 2021, Montgomery has allowed nine hits and four runs while striking out 11. In his first start against Tampa Bay, Montgomery allowing five hits and four runs (including two home runs) over 5 2-3 innings. The lefty also plunked Austin Meadows twice.
Weather
Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our MLB weather info.
Key injuries
Rays: Peter Fairbanks RP (Out), Ryan Sherriff RP (Out), Kevin Kiermaier CF (Out), Ji-Man Choi 1B (Out), Chaz Roe RP (Out), Nick Anderson RP (Out), Oliver Drake RP (Out).
Yankees: Miguel Andujar LF (Out), Luke Voit 1B (Out), Zack Britton RP (Out).
Find our latest MLB injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Rays are 15-5 in their last 20 meetings against the Yankees. Find more MLB betting trends for Rays vs. Yankees.
Moneyline pick
Tampa Bay breezed through the first two games of the season against New York, winning 10-5 and 4-0 while chasing Yankee starters Corey Kluber and Domingo German after just 2 1-3 and 4 innings. However, in game three, the script flipped with Rays starter Brent Honeywell Jr. pulled after two innings, with Montgomery getting the win in an 8-4 New York win.
Tampa Bay's home success was short-lived after the Yankees departed, with the Rangers coming into town and taking three of four, with the Rays' sole win coming on the back of Glasnow's stellar start — a 1-0 series-opening win. Luckily, they can try and recreate that recipe on Saturday, with the stud starter taking to the mound against the Bronx Bombers.
Glasnow is yet to pitch against New York this year but has had great success against its lineup recently, pitching 11 2-3 innings over his last two starts against the Yankees (both in New York), allowing just four hits and two runs against 17 strikeouts.
With New York's loaded lineup off to a slow start, as it ranks in the bottom half of the league in runs per nine innings, batting average and on-base percentage, we cannot trust it to find a win against an ace throwing out of his mind at the moment.
PREDICTION: Rays (-120)
Over/Under pick
The total for this one is set at 8.5, with a solid starter in Montgomery coming up against an ace in Glasgow. The Yankees, 4-8 O/U, have been unreliable for Over bettors this year, while the Rays have rewarded the Over at 9-4 O/U.
However, the Rays' lineup has been even less productive than the Yankees, as they have averaged fewer runs per nine innings (3.79 to 4.0) and have a worse team batting average (.220 to .231) and on-base percentage (.671 to .687).
Tampa has left the ninth most runners on base so far this season, so there is hope for this lineup to get going. Even if the Rays' bats were to come alive on Saturday, however, it's difficult to see this one going Over with Glasgow likely to severely limit New York's production.
PREDICTION: Under 8.5 (-115)
Rays vs Yankees betting card
- Rays (-120)
- Under 8.5 (-115)
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