Published May 21, 7:22pm ET by
Paul Lebowitz - Betting Preview Analyst and Sports Writer
Last updated May 21, 7:22pm ET
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Updated May 21, 7:23pm ET
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| New York Yankees | -146 |
| Tampa Bay Rays | +132 |
The Rays got off to a sluggish start this season, but have been blazing since they fell to 5-7 after 12 games. They've won 15 of their last 18. Now, they're in 1st place in the AL East and swept the St. Petersburg in Tampa earlier this season.
For the first game of this key early series in the Bronx, they start Nick Martinez.
The 35-year-old veteran journeyman is well on his way to his first All-Star appearance with a 2.3 bWAR and a 1.51 ERA in 9 starts. He's thrown 53.2 innings, allowed 45 hits and 9 earned runs, walking 11 and striking out 35.
At the plate, Jonathan Aranda is leading the AL in RBI and has an .815 OPS. Junior Caminero has an .865 OPS and 13 homers. Yandy Diaz has a slash of .316/.394/.506.
For the Rays against Cole, Diaz is 14 for 51 with 2 doubles and 2 homers. Cedric Mullins is 10 for 31 with a double and a home run. Richie Palacios is 1 for 5 with a single. Taylor Walls is 0 of 8 with 2 walks and 4 K's.
The Yankees get back their erstwhile ace in Gerrit Cole after he missed all of 2025 after Tommy John surgery. The righty, 35, was set to have a final minor league rehab start, but New York wisely decided that it was better not to waste his bullets when he's ready to get back to the big leagues.
Of course, he will be closely watched and presumably on a pitch count, so this will be an early bullpen game for the Yankees even if Cole has his good stuff.
New York's offense is being carried by Aaron Judge, Ben Rice, and Cody Bellinger. Ryan McMahon, Austin Wells, and Trent Grisham are not hitting at all. Jazz Chisholm has been getting hot. Paul Goldschmidt's OPS is approaching 1.000 after a bad start to the season.
Against Martinez, McMahon is 5 for 19 with 2 walks and 8 K's. Rice is 2 for 4 with 2 doubles. Bellinger is 3 for 11 with a double. Judge is 2 for 8 with a home run. Grisham is 1 for 3 with a double. Anthony Volpe is 0 for 3.
Although the Yankees played well in their 4-game series against the Blue Jays, they have fallen behind the Rays due in part to Tampa's hot streak and their own recent mediocrity. The Rays swept them in a closely-fought series in April.
What will Cole be as he returns to big league action? Can Martinez keep up his superlative work?
Cole should not be expected to be in Cy Young form. Expect Martinez to hold New York's bats down and for Tampa to score a few runs against Cole to take the opener of their series in the Bronx.
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Tampa Bay Rays +132
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