The New York Yankees will look to make it three straight and win the four-game series over the Tampa Bay Rays when the teams meet in the Bronx at 1:05 p.m. ET this afternoon.
After dropping the series opener, the Bronx Bombers won an extra-inning game before taking last night’s contest, 5-3, at Yankee Stadium.
Will Tampa Bay walk away from this thing with a 2-2 split? Find out with our best free MLB betting picks and predictions for Rays vs. Yankees on June 3.
Rays vs Yankees game info
• Location: Yankee Stadium, New York, NY
• Date: Thursday, June 3, 2021
• Time: 1:05 p.m. ET
• TV: MLB Network
Rays vs Yankees odds
Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.
Compare MLB odds before betting to ensure you get the best number.
MLB Sharp Money and Line Movement Report
By Patrick EversonWith Gerrit Cole on the mound, New York hit the board as a healthy -225 favorite this morning at FanDuel, and after an initial bump up to -235, the moneyline dropped to -198. As of noon ET, the Yankees are -205, with ticket count and money both in the 4/1 range on the Pinstripes. The total toggled between 7 and 7.5 a few times and is currently 7.5 (Under -122), with 59 percent of tickets on the Over and 76 percent of cash on the Under.
Check out the full line movement for this gameRays vs Yankees betting preview
Starting pitchers
Ryan Yarbrough (2-3, 4.26 ERA): Yarbrough has been solid for Tampa Bay this season, and he gave the team two quality starts in a row before allowing two earned runs in 4 1-3 innings of work against Philadelphia on May 29. The lefty is certainly beatable on an off day, as he does give up a lot of good contact in a typical outing. However, more often than not, the Rays are in games when he hands the ball off to their bullpen. They’ll definitely take that against the Yankees today.
Gerrit Cole (6-2, 1.78 ERA): Cole has been unbelievable for the Yankees this year, as his 1.78 ERA would be the lowest of his career by a wide margin. Obviously, it’s highly unlikely that the righty keeps that number under 2.00 all season, but New York will take it for now. Cole has allowed one or fewer earned runs in three of his last four starts, and he actually pitched eight innings of shutout ball against this same Rays team on May 12. Cole struck out 12 batters in that game, and he has to be feeling good about playing them again.
Weather
Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our MLB weather info.
Key injuries
Rays: Nick Anderson RP (Out).
Yankees: Aaron Hicks OF (Out), Luke Voit 1B (Out), Zack Britton RP (Out), Darren O’Day RP (Out).
Find our latest MLB injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Yankees are 7-1 in their last eight games against teams with winning percentages above .600. Find more MLB betting trends for Rays vs. Yankees.
Moneyline pick
Nobody wants to hear that they should be on a team laying significant juice, but the Yankees really should be able to beat the Rays and take this series this afternoon. New York has struggled with Yarbrough this season, as the lefty has pitched 8 1-3 innings over two appearances against them and allowed just one earned run. The Yankees, however, have seen enough of the lefty at this point, so you should expect them to make some adjustments and figure him out this time around.
And if they can’t go out there and shell him, that’s what Gerrit Cole is for.
Cole absolutely dominated the Rays the last time he faced them, allowing four hits in an eight-inning shutout in Tampa Bay on May 12. And the last time he pitched against them at Yankee Stadium, the righty allowed two earned in 6 1-3 innings and struck out 10 in the process. Overall, Cole has had this team’s number this year, which is a good sign because he has struggled with them in the past. Look for him to keep up that positive momentum and give New York a great shot at taking this one.
Also, don’t be surprised if Giancarlo Stanton has another big game for the Yankees here. In his career against Yarbrough, Stanton is 3 for 9 with a homer, two doubles, and two RBI. He has also been walked three times. Stanton has been cold recently, but he should wake up in this spot.
PREDICTION: Yankees (-230)
Over/Under pick
This total is a bit high for a game with Cole on the mound, which is a little suspicious. The righty’s starts have gone Under in four straight and seven of the last nine.
He has just been outstanding for New York, and he should be able to turn in another excellent performance — despite the fact that the game is at Yankee Stadium.
Yarbrough, meanwhile, has seen each of his last eight starts go Over the total. That doesn’t, however, include games in which the Rays used an opener for him, and each of his last two outings against the Yankees have gone way Under. Tampa Bay won 4-2 when he pitched on April 18, and then the team lost 1-0 when he faced New York again on May 12.
PREDICTION: Under 7.5 (-110)
Rays vs Yankees betting card
- Yankees (-230)
- Under 7.5 (-110)
Picks made on 6/3/2021 at 10:59 a.m. ET
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