The New York vs Tampa Bay series is supposed to be a battle of hitting against pitching but heading into Yankees vs Rays game 2 betting offense has reigned supreme. The Yankees were able to capture a 9-3 win on Monday, belting out 15 hits as -156 underdogs.
New York also had Gerritt Cole on the mound in the opener, but there’s a lot of question marks in the NYY rotation after the Cy Young candidate. 21-year-old Deivi Garcia (3-2, 4.98) becomes the youngest postseason starter in Yankees history when he takes the mound Tuesday. The Rays are -130 favorites in game 2 with Tyler Glasnow (5-1, 4.08 ERA) getting the nod.
Yankees Bats Set to Stay Hot?
Some people though both the New York and Tampa Bay offenses would struggle playing at the neutral site of Petco Park in San Diego, but that wasn’t the case for the Yankees in game one. Giancarlo Stanton hit a grand slam to fuel the 9-3 NY win, his third straight home run of the postseason.
Aaron Judge, Clint Frazier, and Kyle Higashioka all added HRs off Tampa Bay as well. New York has gone 3-0 this postseason, beating Cleveland 10-9 and 12-3 in the wild card round. Over this impressive run, the Yankees have belted out 11 long balls.
Despite that great offensive showing so far, New York is still a +110 underdog heading into ALDS Yankees vs Rays game 2 betting. The Yankees have put up just 2 ER in the last two starts vs. Tyler Glasnow this season (11.2 IP) but they also weren’t full strength for much of this shortened series. Glasnow has also served up multiple HRs in three of his last four starts.
I could listen to John Sterling’s Stanton home run call 100 times in a row and still not accurately repeat what he says out loud.
— Jimbo (@jimbro83) October 6, 2020
Rays Need to Get Offense Going
Tampa Bay managed to scratch out a run in the 1st inning against Gerritt Cole on Monday, but there was little else going on offense. Randy Arozarena had half of Tampa Bay’s six hits (including a home run) and Ji-Man Choi also added a deep one.
The Rays were able to get by Toronto in two games in the wild card round, winning 3-1 and 8-2. That was a pitching dominated matchup, but Tampa Bay needs to find more offensive production in game 2. That should be possible against NYY’s Deivi Garcia, a rookie making just his 7th career start. No Tampa Bay batters have ever faced the right-hander, but he allowed 10 ER in 9.2 IP over his last two starts of the regular season.
Glasnow will also have to somehow limit the Yankees bats. The right-hander has allowed 5 ER in his last three starts (17.0 IP), all home runs. That includes 6.0 IP of 2 ER ball in the wild-card round vs. Toronto. Glasnow also had a 3.77 ERA in three starts vs. the Yankees this season.
ALDS Yankees vs Rays Game 2 Betting Free Pick
Glasnow has to be great on Tuesday night for the Rays to have any chance at this one – but that’s a pretty tall order against this red hot New York offense. The good news is that the Tampa Bay bats can get to Garcia on the other side. The total of 8.5 looks incredibly low here, which does raise some red flags, but New York simply won’t be shut down completely right now.
Rays 5 – Yankees 4
Free Pick: Over 8.5
