The Yankees and Rays will meet in Game 3 with the series tied at one game each. Tyler Glasnow struck out 10 in only five innings of work and got the win, but he did give up four runs.
Giancarlo Stanton hit a mammoth blast to left field for a three-run homer in the fourth inning, his second of the night. The Rays bullpen was fantastic, allowing one run in four innings, despite Peter Fairbanks making Rays fans sweat in the ninth.
The teams combined for six home runs, as Stanton (2), Randy Arozarena, Mike Zunino, Manuel Margot, and Austin Meadows all went deep.
Yankees Failing to Make Contact
The Yankees have fully embraced the three-outcome theory, but last night they did not make enough contact. Besides Stanton’s homers, New York only had three other hits. Tampa Bay hitters struck out 18 Yankees’ hitters, setting a postseason record.
Masahiro Tanaka takes the mound for New York, as he hopes to recover from a rough outing against Cleveland in the Wild Card round. Tanaka went only four innings allowing five hits, three walks, and six earned runs. The veteran right-hander was solid in the regular season with a WHIP of 1.17, 3.56 ERA, and a 3-3 record.
Stanton has been on a tear in the playoffs. He has now homered in four straight games, marking the third-longest streak in postseason history behind Daniel Murphy and Carlos Beltran. Stanton’s second homer of the night traveled 458 feet as it landed in the third tier of seating.
New York hitters have plenty of experience against Rays starter Charlie Morton. They have combined for 192 plate appearances with a combined OPS of .784. Look for Brett Gardner to get a start as he has an OPS of 1.110 against Morton with three homers in 26 at-bats.
Rays Pitchers Missing Yankee Bats
While giving up five runs in a game does not seem like something a pitching staff would be proud of, it was an excellent performance by the Tampa Bay staff. Glasnow, Diego Castillo, Nick Anderson, and Fairbanks all averaged two strikeouts per innings as they limited the Yankees to only five hits total. Anderson’s performance was the best of the bunch as he was perfect in two innings of work while only throwing 22 pitches.
Morton will get the start for Tampa but how deep he can go remains to be seen. Morton has not pitched since September 25th when he faced the Phillies. The veteran right-hander has had a solid postseason history as he is 4-2 with a 3.70 ERA in nine playoff appearances, eight of which have been starts.
Tampa Bay hitters, like their counterparts, have plenty of experience against the Yankees starter. Rays hitters have combined for an OPS of .712 in 198 plate appearances against Tanaka.
Kevin Kieramier is 12-of-39 with two doubles, two triples, and a home run off Tanaka. Zunino and Meadows, who both homered last night, also have two home runs off of Tanaka.
Rays/Yankees Betting Lines
According to FanDuel, the Yankees are the slight favorite at -130, with the Rays at +112. The total is set at nine runs.
Free Betting Pick
New York will be the home team in this game, as well as Game 4. Morton and Tanaka both have tons of experience in the postseason, so the pressure of a pivotal Game 3 will not be too much for either of them. But the question for Rays fans is whether or not Morton is very healthy.
The ball seems to be flying out of PetCo Park, which at one time was considered a pitcher’s park. I think the home run brigade continues tonight, as the Rays get a few more guys on base and come away with the victory. I like the over here, as both teams have had success at the plate.
Free Pick: Rays +112 and Over 9
