Yankees vs. Rays: Game 3, prediction, odds, injuries and picks

Yankees vs. Rays: Game 3, prediction, odds, injuries and picks - April 20, MLB 2025

Modified Apr 20, 2025 06:27 GMT

New York Yankees vs Tampa Bay Rays (Getty)

The powerhouse New York Yankees battle the Tampa Bay Rays in the rubber match of their three-game series.The two squads are currently tied with one win apiece as they head to the decider at George M. Steinbrenner Field at Tampa, Florida.

Game 2 was a slugfest between two squads as the Rays triumphed over the Yankees, 10-8, as Jonathan Aranda walked off the Bombers with a two-run shot in the bottom of the ninth inning.

Aaron Judge finished the game by going 3-for-5 with 3 RBIs but his contributions weren't enough as they were bested by the consolidated effort of Tampa's batting order.

Yankees vs Rays recent form and records

In spite of the walk-off loss, the Yanks still has a grip on the American League East standings with a 13-8 record. However, any minor slip ups might change their fortunes as the 12-9 Toronto Blue Jays are hot on their heels.

As for the Rays, the team still owns the bottom cellar in the division with a 9-12 clip. Despite their early struggles, the team are just behind by four games from the top of the table in the mega-competitive AL East.

Players to watch

Starting pitchers

NYY: Max Fried (3-0, 1.88 ERA), TB: Ryan Pepiot (1-2, 4.91 ERA)

New York Yankees

Newly-acquired starter Max Fried has recorded a blazing start to his life in the Bronx. The former Atlanta Braves star currently holds an impressive 3-0 record with a 1.84 ERA across four starts and 28 strikeouts in 24 innings pitched.

Must-Watch Hitters

Tampa Bay Rays

Fresh off his go-ahead home run in Game 7 of LIDOM's Serie Final, Junior Caminero has been a reliable bat for the Rays to start the 2025 campaign. The 21-year-old has tallied five home runs with a slash line of .284/.325/.527 with an OPS of .852.

Yankees vs Rays baseball betting odds

Sunday, 4/20	Money Line	Run Spread	Total Runs
NYY	-149	-1.5, +108	O 7.5, -150
TB	+134	+1.5, -133	U 7.5, +188

Yankees vs Rays expert picks and game prediction

The first two games between the AL East counterparts has been unpredictable. Game 1 saw a 1-0 shutout in favor of the visiting Bombers while Game 2 saw a slugfest that ultimately ended up going to the Rays via a walk-off two-run home run.

Since it's a divisional battle between two squads that has quite the familiarity with each other, expect a nip-and-tuck battle in Game 3 as both teams deploy starters on the top half of their respective rotations with the Yanks utilizing Max Fried while the Rays activating Ryan Pepiot for the rubber match.

Run Line: +1.5, -133

Total Runs: U 7.5, +188

Prediction: NYY wins, 4-3

About the author

Daniel Santiago is a journalist who has been reporting on baseball at Sportskeeda since 2022. He was drawn towards the sport after the underlying statistics and the analysis surrounding it grabbed his attention.

Daniel particularly enjoys furnishing reports about historic events in baseball and analyzing the game through a statistic-based outlook, based on Fangraphs and Baseball-Reference. This is in line with how he enjoyed watching baseball as a pastime. As a writer, he is very particular about cross-checking from reputable sources and doing his due diligence.

He became a lifelong Hideki Matsui fan after his exploits in the 2009 World Series for the New York Yankees. Among the current generation, Daniel's favorites include Shohei Ohtani and Jung Hoo Lee. Daniel is a huge follower of Asian baseball and both Ohtani and Lee have been in the top echelon of their respective leagues during their time with the NPB and KBO.

His favorite moment as a baseball fan was the final at-bat of the 2023 World Baseball Classic between Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout. He believes there aren't many words to fittingly describe the intensity of the moment.

As an avid sports fan, Daniel watches other sports and Esports when not writing about baseball.

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Edited by Daniel Santiago