The AL East heats up in Florida as the New York Yankees head south to clash with the Tampa Bay Rays in a midweek showdown.
New York seems to be finding its rhythm again, and I’m banking on that momentum carrying over into tonight’s matchup.
Check out my Yankees vs. Rays prediction and MLB picks for Tuesday, August 19, as these division rivals square off.
Yankees vs Rays prediction
Yankees vs Rays best bet: Yankees Team Total Over 4.5 (+110)
After a few weeks of routinely fading the New York Yankees, backing them over the last week has had its benefits.
My postseason outlook on New York is still relatively low, but given the contextual elements that followed their midseason slump, it was only a matter of time until they had some positive regression – here it is.
New York has won five of its last six games while scoring an average of 7.8 runs in those wins. In the process, they regained a playoff spot that they had lost and have at least given the Toronto Blue Jays something to think about at the top of the AL East.
They’ll keep that rolling today against Tampa Bay Rays starter Shane Baz, a pitcher they’ve had great success against, and it’s easy to understand why.
The drum we have beaten on New York all season long, even amidst the slump, is that they are strong against pitchers that do two things: have a barrel-rate problem and throw high-velocity stuff. Baz checks both boxes.
He’ll enter this game with a barrel rate in the bottom 30% of baseball while throwing the fastball over 45% of the time. This system has been quite profitable for me over the past season, and I see no reason to change now.
New York has regained the top spot in the majors in barrel rate with a number of 11.4%, and we all know how many good fastball hitters litter their lineup. I’d play this to my projected price of -108.
Yankees vs Rays same-game parlay (SGP)
We’re pairing Jazz Chisholm Jr. to go deep with our best bet.
He’s one of the undervalued hitters in the Yankees lineup tonight with strong fastball and velocity numbers.
It also helps that he’ll benefit directly from lefty-favorable dimensions in George Steinbrenner Field.
Yankees vs Rays odds
- Moneyline: Tampa Bay +110 | New York -135
- Run line: Tampa Bay +1.5 (-160) | New York -1.5 (+135)
- Over/Under: Over 8.5 | Under 8.5
Yankees vs Rays trend
The New York Yankees have hit the Game Total Over in 15 of their last 25 away games (+5.00 Units / 18% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Yankees vs. Rays.
How to watch Yankees vs Rays and game info
| Location | George M. Steinbrenner Field, Tampa, FL |
| Date | Tuesday, August 19, 2025 |
| First pitch | 7:35 p.m. ET |
| TV | YES, FDSN-Sun |
| Yankees starting pitcher | Carlos Rodon (12-7, 3.25 ERA) |
| Rays starting pitcher | Shane Baz (8-9, 4.93 ERA) |
Yankees vs Rays latest injuries
Yankees vs Rays weather
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
Not intended for use in MA.
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