New York Yankees vs. Tampa Bay Rays: Odds, Preview, & Prediction | Thursday, May 26th

New York Yankees vs. Tampa Bay Rays Preview: Yankees continue their winning ways behind Nestor Cortes

The New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays begin their four-game series tonight in Florida. The Yankees have been one of the best road teams in the MLB, with a 14-6 record away from Yankee Stadium. The Rays have had a pretty good home record as well, at 15-9. This looks like one of the most competitive games on the MLB slate tonight, so enjoy the game and if you want to take action on it you have come to the right place.

Below, you will find a brief preview of each team followed by a prediction for the game.

New York Yankees Preview:

"Hittin' the road with a series W"- @Yankees

The New York Yankees became the first team in the MLB to reach 30 wins. They have been spectacular on both sides this season, as their pitching staff ranks third in the MLB with a 3.00 ERA and the offense is scoring 4.73 runs per game. These numbers show why the Yankees have been the best team in the league.

Nestor Cortes Jr. will take the mound for New York, and he has been excellent to begin the year. Cortes has given up three earned runs or less in every start this season, which equates to his spectacular 1.80 ERA. His previous two starts were against the Chicago White Sox, and he faired extremely well against them considering that the lineup normally dismantles left-handed pitching.

The Yankees offense has been very solid this season as well, led by Aaron Judge, Anthony Rizzo, and D.J. LeMahieu. Surprisingly, to this point in the season, New York's offense has performed better on the road than at Yankee Stadium. This is a great matchup tonight against a left-handed pitcher who isn't overpowering. The key to victory for the Yankees is to get a quality start from Nestor Cortes and to have timely offensive production.

Tampa Bay Rays Preview:

"Didn't have to be pretty as long as it's a #RaysWin" - @ Tampa Bay Rays

The Tampa Bay Rays have started the season pretty well. Considering that they have made strong playoff runs over the last three seasons, they are right where they want to be. The offense has been pretty average this far, as they are in the middle of the pack in many important offensive categories. The pitching staff has been very elite so far. The Tampa Bay Rays' staff ranks fifth in the MLB with a 3.30 ERA.

Ryan Yarbrough will start the game for the Rays, making his fifth start since returning from injury. Yarborough has found success in his most recent starts, but really hasn't faced an offense like the Yankees yet. He did hold the Blue Jays to one run in 3.2 innings of work, but Toronto's bats have been struggling all season.

Led by Randy Arozarena and Wander Franco, the Tampa Bay offense has been very oppurtunistic this season. They are performing better against left-handed pitching as well. The key to victory for the Rays tonight is to limit the number of home runs from the Yankees offense and find ways to manufacture runs off of Nestor Cortes.

Pick/Prediction: New York Yankees ML (-120)

Nestor Cortes has been one of the most effective pitchers in the MLB so far, and the New York Yankees have won Cortes' last three starts. The Rays should make the game competitive throughout, but we're riding with the MLB's best team to take care of business against their American League East rivals.