MLB: New York Yankees vs Tampa Bay Rays | 16 June, 7:05 AM (PST)

[Mary C]

POTENTIAL STARTING LINEUPS: 

NEW YORK YANKEES: 

P | Gerrit Cole 

RP | Michael King 

CL | Clay Holmes 

C | Kyle Higashioka 

1B | Anthony Rizzo 

2B | DJ LeMahieu 

3B | Marwin Gonzalez 

SS | Isiah Kiner-Falefa 

LF | Aaron Hicks 

CF | Aaron Judge 

RF | Joey Gallo 

DH | Giancarlo Stanton 

 

TAMPA BAY RAYS: 

P | Shane McClanahan 

RP | Jason Adam 

CL | Colin Poche 

C | Francisco Mejia 

1B | Ji-Man Choi 

2B |  Issac Paredes 

3B | Yandy Diaz 

SS | Taylor Walls 

LF | Randy Arozarena  

CF | Kevin Kiermaier 

RF | Manuel Margot 

DH | Harold Ramirez 

 

Once again, one of MLB’s most intriguing and exciting matchups with the Major’s best, New York Yankees vs. the Tampa Bay Rays is about to pitch off with the second game this Thursday at the Yankee Stadium, 16th of June, 7:05 AM (PST). Each team has won four AL East titles so far, and now it is time to find out who's got it in them to win a fifth.  

 

Taking a look at the record of the Tampa Bay Rays this season, they have been able to rack up 35 wins with 25 losses. Showing us that although they may not be the superstars that the Yankees are, the Rays do have an above-average team with players who know how to win. Currently, they are standing at third place in the AL East, two spots behind the New York Yankees, and have a .583 winning percentage. In the last 10 games that they’ve played, the Rays were able to win six of those games, leaving them with four losses.  

 

The probable pitcher for the Rays in this game is Shane McClanahan. McClanahan has an earned run average of 1.87 and a win-loss score of 7-2. More importantly, his walks and hits per inning pitched (WHIP) are at 0.82, showing him to be an above-average pitcher. The batting leaders for Tampa Bay include Kevin Kiermaier, Wander Franco, and Ji-Man Choi. All three have promising averages with Kiermaier holding a .229 home run average, Franco with a batting average of .270, and Choi with 31 runs batted in.  

 

In terms of injured players, the Rays have five players out on the roster. These players include Mike Zunino (10-Day IL), Brandon Lowe (10-Day IL), Andrew Kittredge (60-Day IL), Wander Franco (10-Day IL), and Luis Patino (60-Day IL). 

 

Now when we take a look over at the MLB superstars that are the New York Yankees, they are holding true to their status, leading in the AL EAST with 44 wins and a mere 16 losses. They have been on a speeding roll as in the last ten games that they have played, they won nine out of the ten games, leaving them with only one loss. This can be attributed to their tactical and aggressive play styles and 2017’s AL Rookie of the year, Aaron Judge. Aaron Judge carries a more than impressive stats sheet as he is the batting leader in home runs, batting average, and runs batted in. He holds a .318 average in home runs, a .318 batting average, and a 48 RBI. The Pitcher for the Yankees in this game is Nestor Cortes who has a win-loss score of 5-2. His earned run average is at 1.96 and has a WHIP of 0.92, which is around 0.06 more than Tampa’s McClanahan.  

 

In terms of injured players for the Bombers, they’ve got five players injured. These players include Domingo German (60-Day IL), Gleyber Torres (Day-To-Day), Jose Trevino (Day-To-Day), Austin Wells (Day-to-Day), and Josh Donaldson (Suspension).  

 

The Tampa Bay Rays seem to be firmly holding their position in third at the AL East, and with a team that goes above average and knows how to win, they have promising potential against the Yankees in this upcoming game and series. However, the Yankees are a much stronger team, and playing at a scale that is more than average is not enough to bring the team down. Thus, the odds are in the favor of the New York Yankees.  

 

7:05 AM (PST), Wednesday, June 16, 2022. Yankee Stadium, Bronx, New York City.