Yankees vs. Rays (May 28): Kluber, Rays good value to end Yanks’ four-game win streak

This afternoon, the New York Yankees will face a familiar foe as they take on former Yankee Corey Kluber and the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field.

Kluber spent last season in the Big Apple, where he went 5-3 with a 3.83 ERA in 16 starts before signing with the Rays this past offseason. This will be his first start against the Yankees since his move to the two-time defending AL East champions.

Meanwhile, Gerrit Cole will be aiming to bounce back from his first loss of the season, in which he recorded a season high in strikeouts but also gave up season highs in runs and hits.

New York Yankees vs. Tampa Bay Rays Betting Odds and Matchup Information

Matchup Information

• Matchup: New York Yankees (33-13, 16-6 road, 1st in the AL East) vs. Tampa Bay Rays (26-19, 15-11 home, 2nd in the AL East)
• Venue & Location: Tropicana Field (St. Petersburg, Florida)
• Date: Saturday, May 28, 2022
• Time: 4:10 p.m. Eastern Time
• How to Watch Today’s Yankees vs. Rays Game: YES Network (Yankees), Bally Sports Sun (Rays), MLB Extra Innings (subscription package)

Yankees vs. Rays Pitching Matchup

• New York Yankees: Gerrit Cole (2022: 9 starts, 4-1, 3.31 ERA)
• Tampa Bay Rays: Corey Kluber (2022: 8 starts, 1-2, 4.42 ERA)

Yankees vs. Rays Odds

Odds are via BetOnline. Odds from our other top reviewed and recommended sportsbooks may also be included in this article.

Moneyline

• New York Yankees -144
• Tampa Bay Rays +122

Over/Under

• OVER 6.5 (-128)
• UNDER 6.5 (+104)

Run Line

• New York Yankees -1.5 (+128)
• Tampa Bay Rays +1.5 (-154)

Can Cole Reverse Luckless Run at Tropicana Field?

Since moving to the American League in 2018, the Tampa Bay Rays have been one of Cole’s least favorite opponents. In 11 starts against the Rays, he is 1-6 with a 4.46 ERA.

Tropicana Field has one of his least favorite venues as well. In five starts there, he is 1-3 with a 3.60 ERA. Last season, he was 1-3 with a 5.11 ERA in four starts against Tampa Bay, including a 1-1 record and a 4.73 ERA in two starts at the Trop.

On a positive note, he has 103 strikeouts in 66 career innings against the Rays, with 47 Ks in 30 innings in his road starts against them.

That comes out to 14.1 strikeouts per nine innings at Tropicana Field and 13.9 strikeouts per nine innings overall. Cole has four nine-strikeout games in his past six starts, so backing him to record 9+ strikeouts (+128 at BetOnline) is good value whether you are backing the Yankees or Rays this afternoon.

In his most recent start, Cole had a season-high 11 strikeouts against the Baltimore Orioles this past Monday. But he gave up a season-high five runs and eight hits as the Yankees fell 6-4 in the opener of their series against the visiting Orioles. It was Cole’s first loss of the season and just the Yankees’ second loss in his nine 2022 starts.

Yankees vs. Rays Prediction and Best Bets

Yankees vs. Rays Prediction: Rays to win

Yankees vs. Rays Best Bets: Rays ML (+125 at Bovada Sportsbook) & Tampa Bay Rays team total over 3 runs (+100 at BetOnline)

The Rays haven’t lost three straight games against the Yankees since 2019, and they haven’t been held to fewer than three runs in three consecutive games since April 29-May 1 of last year (vs. the Oakland A’s and Houston Astros).

Kluber has just one win this season, but he is 1-1 with a 2.91 ERA at home, and two of his three quality starts have come at home. He hasn’t pitched against the Yankees since 2018, but in eight career starts against the Bronx Bombers, he is 5-2 with a 2.51 ERA.

If the Rays do manage to score three or more runs this afternoon, it bodes well for Kluber’s chances to pick up the W. When he has received three or more runs of support, he is 92-22 in 160 starts, including a 55-0 record when he has gotten 6+ runs of support.