NY Yankees (50-42) vs. Tampa Bay Rays (54-36) July 9, 2026 1:10 pm EDT The Line: Tampa Bay Rays -156 / NY Yankees 129; Over/Under: 7.5 (Get latest betting odds)
In this article we will formulate a Rays vs Yankees prediction for this MLB game on Thursday, July 9th at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. Let’s take a look at the prediction for this MLB matchup.
The Tampa Bay Rays are 54-36 this season after they won two of the first three games in this series by scores of 1-5, 6-4, and 3-0. In game three, Tampa Bay scored once in the third inning, once in the fifth, and once in the seventh in the win. The Rays recorded eight hits in the game and they were led by Aranda, who went 2-3 with three RBIs. McClanahan allowed four hits and zero earned runs over 6.1 innings for the win, while Baker got the save. Prior to this series, Tampa Bay lost two out of three against the Astros, but did sweep the Royals before that.
This season, Tampa Bay has a 3.72 ERA with a 1.17 WHIP and a .232 opponent batting average, while they have scored 406 runs with a .257 batting average and a .334 on base percentage. Jonathan Aranda has led the Rays with 13 home runs and 61 RBIs, while Junior Caminero has added 26 home runs and 56 RBIs. The projected starting pitcher for Tampa Bay is Drew Rasmussen, who is 7-4 with a 2.78 ERA and a 0.90 WHIP over 97.0 innings pitched this season.
The New York Yankees are 50-42 this year after they lost game three by a score of 0-3 on Wednesday night. New York had plenty of baserunners in the game, but couldn’t score any runs in the shutout loss. The Yankees recorded six hits in the game and they were led by Dominguez, who went 2-4. Cole allowed seven hits and three earned runs over 6.1 innings for the loss, while Cruz threw 0.2 relief innings. Prior to this series, New York lost two out of three against the Twins and all three against the Tigers.
This season, New York has a 3.40 ERA with a 1.19 WHIP and a .228 opponent batting average, while they have scored 436 runs with a .234 batting average and a .315 on base percentage. Ben Rice has led the Yankees with 26 home runs and 60 RBIs, while Cody Bellinger has added 11 home runs and 50 RBIs. The projected starting pitcher for New York is TBD.
Tampa Bay was able to get another win in this series on Wednesday night and they lead the AL East by five games. The Rays are 33-13 at home this year, while the Yankees are 27-22 on the road. New York continues to struggle over the last three weeks and they have scored one run or fewer in two of their last four games. The Yankees have not announced a starter, while Rasmussen has allowed two earned runs or fewer in four of his last five starts. Take the Rays to win again.