Rays vs Yankees series preview

After getting swept by the surging Royals in their return home, the Rays are in desperate need of a series win over their division rivals. The Yankees have been their usual dominant selves this season, as they recently lost a series to the slumping Orioles. Nevertheless, the New York club is still atop the AL East with an 18-13 record, four games ahead of the 4th place Rays. Can they claw their way back towards the top after a three games in the ever-treacherous Yankee Stadium.

Despite being swept by the Royals, the Rays are altogether playing solid baseball over the last few series. The West Coast road trip ended in a 5-1 record, so it's possible the Rays could get back to their winning ways when they return to the road. In nine away games this season, Tampa Bay is 5-4, while they hold a .409 winning percentage at Steinbrenner Field.

Opening Day starter Ryan Pepiot will face off against left-handed ace Max Fried in the first game of this principal series. Pepiot hasn't been himself this season as he currently has a 2-3 record and above a 4.00 ERA. However, he's still doing a fantastic job of avoiding the dreaded free pass, as he's managed to hold that stat to only 12 on the year. If we compare that to his 34 strikeouts, he has a reputable ratio. Keeping runs off the board via the long ball will be his greatest concern.

On the other side, former Braves lefty Max Fried will get the start this evening. The dominant hurler is currently leading the majors with a 5-0 record. He's also second in the MLB behind only Yoshinobu Yamamoto (1.06 ERA) with a 1.19 ERA.

Even though game one will be a grave challenge, games two and three are more favorable for the Rays. Zack Littell and Taj Bradley will go against Clarke Schmidt and Will Warren. Nonetheless, it doesn't matter how the pitchers perform, if the offense doesn't show up. Rays pitchers are top 10 in the majors in ERA as they've been able to limit opponents to 3.57 runs per nine innings. Therefore, the lineup must pick up the slack if this team is going to prosper in 2025.