The Tampa Bay Rays have overtaken the New York Yankees and are now the -132 favorites to win the AL East title. Photo by: @RaysBaseball (Twitter).
- The Tampa Bay Rays are now the -132 favorites to win the AL East this season
- Previous chalk the New York Yankees dropped to second in this betting market at -105
- A week ago, the Yanks were odds-on -317 favorites, with Tampa Bay at +213
What a difference a week has made in the fortunes of both the Tampa Bay Rays and the New York Yankees.
On August 20th, the defending AL East champion Yanks were -317 favorites to repeat, on average across leading sportsbooks. Tampa Bay was offered at odds of +213 to claim the AL East crown.
Today, the Rays are favored at -132, while the Yankees have faded to -105in the MLB division odds.
The oddsmakers at DraftKings still see it as basically a coin flip, setting Tampa Bay at -120 and New York at -110.
2020 AL East Odds
| Team | Odds at Draft Kings |
|---|---|
| Tampa Bay Rays | -120 |
| New York Yankees | -110 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | +3300 |
| Baltimore Orioles | +5000 |
| Boston Red Sox | +20000 |
Odds as of Aug. 27th.
Tampa Bay’s most recent division title came in 2010.
Rays of Sunlight
After dropping the opener of an Aug. 8 doubleheader to the Yankees, the Rays were 6-8 on the season. Tampa Bay fashioned a 5-3 victory in the nightcap and was off to the races.
The next day, the Rays earned a 4-3 walkoff win over the Yankees, part of what would be a six-game winning streak. They are 14-3 over their last 17 games and 21-11 on the season.
Doing things that haven’t happened since before we were even a franchise pic.twitter.com/Cwe8kCONgi
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) August 20, 2020
Tampa Bay is 8-3 in one-run games. During a 9-1 road trip from Aug. 10-20, the Rays swept series at Fenway Park (four games) and Yankee Stadium (three games). The last team to accomplish that feat was the 1990 Oakland Athletics. That was eight years before the Rays began play as an MLB expansion franchise.
It was Tampa Bay’s first sweep of a series at Yankee Stadium since 2014.
Tampa Bay Is a Hit
A big difference between these Rays and Tampa Bay teams of the past is that they are capable of beating an opponent down with their bats.
Just in the Mike of time pic.twitter.com/q0h8vckduT
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) August 27, 2020
The Rays are second in the AL in runs scores per game (5.16) and on-base percentage (.336). They are third in OPS (.773) and fifth in slugging percentage (.442). With 41 home runs, Tampa Bay is just five behind the mighty sluggers of the Yankees.
There Goes Yankees’ Judge
If legendary Yankees catcher Yogi Berra were still around, he’d say that this was deja vu all over again. For the second year in a row, the Bronx Bombers are breaking down.
Right-fielder Aaron Judge exited the second game of Wednesday’s twinbill against the Atlanta Braves with calf muscle tightness. He was playing his first game since being activated from the injured list after suffering a similar injury.
Boone said that it is “possible” that Aaron Judge will need to go back to the IL. They will wait to see how he is feeling tomorrow.
— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) August 27, 2020
Current Yanks idled by ailments include closer Zach Britton (left hamstring strain), reliever Luis Avilan (left shoulder inflammation), catcher Kyle Higashioka (right oblique strain), second baseman DJ LeMahieu (left thumb sprain), pitchers James Paxton (Grade 1 left flexor strain), Tommy Kahnle (Tommy John surgery), and Luis Severino (Tommy John surgery), DH Giancarlo Stanton (left hamstring strain), plus shortstop Gleyber Torres (left hamstring & quad strain),
Minus all these regulars, New York is in the midst of a stretch that will see them play 22 games in 20 days. Last season, the Yankees lost an MLB-high 2,776 man-games to injury.
Rays Also Ailing
Excuse the Rays if they don’t shed a tear over the the list of ailing Yankees. Nine Tampa Bay pitchers are currently on the IL.
Those absent include closer Nick Anderson, along with Charlie Morton and Yonny Chirinos, 40% of the club’s starting rotation.
10 different players with a save
23 total pitchers used
Still finding a wayRECAP // https://t.co/7091KkH9PI pic.twitter.com/TqQ63HBffA
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) August 27, 2020
But while the Yankees skid along on a five-game losing streak, the Rays keep finding ways to get the job done. They’ve gotten saves from 10 different relievers already this season. Currently holding a 2.5-game lead with 28 games left to play (33 for NYY), the Rays are deserving favorites.
Pick: Tampa Bay Rays (-120)
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
source https://casinonewsblogger.com/yankees-al-east-odds-now-trail-rays-injuries-piling-up-again/
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