Tampa Bay Rays at New York Yankees 9/9/22 - MLB Picks & Predictions

On Friday, the Tampa Bay Rays open a three-game series on the road against the New York Yankees. Tampa Bay is 77-58 following a 1-0 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday. Tampa Bay swept Boston in its three-game series and the Rays have won eight of the last nine. Tampa Bay is second in the American League East, five games behind the first-place New York Yankees.

Third baseman Yandy Diaz is batting .288 to lead Tampa Bay and has a team-high .397 on base percentage. Left fielder Randy Arozarena is the leader in home runs with 19, RBIs with 74 and hits with 133. On Friday, the Tampa Bay Rays will send Corey Kluber to the mound. The right-hander is 10-7 with a 4.00 ERA, 122 Ks and 18 BBs.

New York swept a doubleheader on Wednesday from the Minnesota Twins, winning the opener 5-4 followed by a 7-1 victory in the nightcap. Aaron Judge hit his 55th home run of the season while Isiah Kiner-Falefa hit a grand slam. New York has won four straight and the Yankees lead Tampa Bay by five games at the top of the American League East.

Center fielder Aaron Judge is batting .301 with 55 home runs, 118 RBIs, 147 hits and an on base percentage of .407 to lead New York in each category. Anthony Rizzo, who is second in both home runs and RBIs, is out injured. On Friday, the New York Yankees will send Frankie Montas to the mound. The right-hander is 5-11 with a 3.79 ERA, 136 Ks and 35 BBs.