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The slumping New York Yankees head south to kick off a big divisional series this weekend against the Tampa Bay Rays, with Friday’s first pitch set for 7:05 p.m. ET. The game will take place at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, and will air on the YES Network in the Yankees market and on Bally Sports Sun in the Rays market. New York will give the ball to ace Gerrit Cole (10-4, 3.03 ERA), while Tampa counters with righty Zach Eflin (13-7, 3.58).
It seemed like the wheels were set to come off for the Rays last week, with Shane McClanahan the latest big-name pitcher lost for the season to injury and Wander Franco placed on the restricted list amid a league investigation. But Tampa Bay has managed to right the ship, with four wins in a row and seven in their last 10. Eflin, Tyler Glasnow and a phalanx of relievers have gotten the job done, while Josh Lowe, Randy Arozarena and Co. are starting to heat up again after a midsummer swoon. The Rays remain just two games back of the O’s in the AL East, with a stranglehold on the top Wild Card spot.
The Yankees avoided the ignominy of the franchise’s first 10-game losing streak in over a century, but just about everything else that could go wrong has gone wrong for this team in 2023 — with injuries to Aaron Judge and just about every starter not named Gerrit Cole exposing a roster that’s been left to wither by Brian Cashman and Co. This lineup has been punchless even with Aaron Judge back in the fold, while the team has no choice but to keep running Severino out there despite a disastrous couple of months. At 10 games back of the third and final AL Wild Card spot and losers of nine of their last 10, a seventh consecutive postseason berth is a pipe dream.
The Rays enter as -130 favorites on the moneyline at DraftKings Sportsbook, with New York at +110. The run total is set at 7.5.
Yankees vs. Rays
Pitchers: Gerrit Cole vs. Zach Eflin
First pitch: 7:05 p.m. ET
Yankees local broadcast: YES Network
TEAM local broadcast: Bally Sports Sun
Live stream: MLB.tv (subscription)
Moneyline odds: Rays -130, Yankees +110
If you aren’t around a TV to check out this MLB matchup, you can also stream the game via MLB.tv or the MLB App. But keep in mind that you need an MLB.tv subscription. If you don’t have an MLB.tv subscription to access the live stream, you can get a free trial to stream the game.