The Yankees (50-42) and Rays (54-36) wrap up a pivotal four-game series this afternoon at Tropicana Field with Tampa Bay looking to take the series and further their hold on first place in the AL East. continue its recent dominance atop the AL East.
Last night the Yankees only struck out 11 times (they had K’d 17 times in each of the previous two games) but managed just six hits and failed to score as the Rays won 3-0 to move five games up in the division. Shane McClanahan was stellar, blanking the Yankees over 6.1 innings. Jonathan Aranda had a night at the plate driving home all three Tampa Bay runs, delivering an RBI single in the third inning, an RBI double in the fifth, and a sacrifice fly in the seventh. Frankly, New York wasted a quality start from Gerrit Cole, who gave up three runs over 6.1 innings.
The Yankees come into Thursday looking for a split in the series and to pull back within four games of the Rays. New York’s offense has been offensive over the last month. Tampa Bay, meanwhile, continues to roll especially at home where they have won 33 of 46 on the season.
It does not get any easier for the Bronx Bombers today as the Rays send Drew Rasmussen (7-4, 2.78 ERA) to the bump. As reliable as he has been this season, Rasmussen’s most recent start was his worst of the season as he allowed five runs on six hits on July 4 in Houston. Prior to that setback, however, he had been dominant, posting a 0.82 ERA across five June starts, including seven scoreless innings with 13 strikeouts against Boston on June 10. The Yankees are expected to turn to Ryan Yarbrough (0-0, 4.29 ERA). Primarily used out of the bullpen this season, Yarbrough’s last seven appearances have all come in losses by the Yankees. Most recently, the righthander pitched July 4 against Minnesota, allowing one run over 1.2 innings while striking out two.
Lets dive into tonight’s matchup and find a sweat or two.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch first pitch, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
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Game Details and How to Watch: Yankees vs. Rays
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Date: Thursday, July 9, 2026
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Network/Streaming: MLB.TV, YES, Rays.TV
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The Latest Odds: Yankees vs. Rays
The latest odds as of Thursday courtesy of DraftKings:
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Moneyline: New York Yankees (+135), Tampa Bay Rays (-163)
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Spread: Yankees +1.5 (-163), Rays -1.5 (+135)
Probable Starting Pitchers and their Stats: Yankees vs. Rays for July 9
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Yankees: Ryan Yarbrough
Season Totals: 35.2 IP, 0-0, 4.29 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 27K, 15 BB -
Rays: Drew Rasmussen
Season Totals: 97.0 IP, 7-4, 2.78 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 96K, 17 BB
Who’s Hot? Who’s Not! Yankees vs. Rays
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Ben Rice has hit safely in 4 straight games (6-16)
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Goldschmidt has struck out 10 times in his last 12 ABs
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Bellinger has struck out 11 times in his last 30 trips to the plate
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Top Betting Trends & Insights: Yankees vs. Rays
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The Yankees are 41-51 on the Run Line this season
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The Rays are 55-35 on the Run Line this season
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The OVER has cashed 39 times in Tampa’s 90 games this season (39-47-4)
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The OVER has cashed 41 times in the Yankees’ 92 games this season (41-47-4)
Expert picks & predictions: Yankees vs. Rays
Rotoworld Bet Best Bet
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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for today’s game between the Yankees and the Rays:
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Moneyline: Rotoworld Bet is leaning towards a play on the Ray on the Moneyline.
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Spread: Rotoworld Bet is staying away from a play on the Run Line.
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Total: Rotoworld Bet is recommending a play on the Rays’ Team Total OVER 4.5
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Total: Rotoworld Bet is staying away from a play on the Game Total of 7.5
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Jay Croucher (@croucherJD)
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Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports)
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