Snell expected to start for Tampa Bay against New York

Published

New York Yankees (23-16, second in the AL East) vs. Tampa Bay Rays (24-14, first in the AL East)

St. Petersburg, Florida; Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT

PITCHING PROBABLES: Yankees: Masahiro Tanaka (2-3, 3.77 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 40 strikeouts) Rays: Blake Snell (2-3, 3.62 ERA, .96 WHIP, 50 strikeouts)

LINE: Rays favored by 1 1/2 runs; over/under is 7 runs

BOTTOM LINE: Both New York and Tampa Bay are looking for a series win with a victory.

The Rays are 8-7 against the rest of their division. The Tampa Bay offense has compiled a .256 batting average as a team this season, good for fifth in the MLB. Brandon Lowe leads the team with an average of .297.

The Yankees are 7-3 in division play. New York has hit 56 home runs this season, tenth in the American League. Gary Sanchez leads the club with 11, averaging one every 8.4 at-bats.

TOP PERFORMERS: Tommy Pham leads the Rays with 40 hits and is batting .284. Ji-Man Choi is 6-for-32 with two home runs and six RBIs over the last 10 games for Tampa Bay.

DJ LeMahieu leads the Yankees with 43 hits and is batting .328. Mike Tauchman is 6-for-23 with two doubles, a home run and three RBIs over the last 10 games for New York.

LAST 10 GAMES: Rays: 5-5, .256 batting average, 2.57 ERA, outscored opponents by 16 runs

Yankees: 6-4, .233 batting average, 3.93 ERA, outscored by five runs

Rays Injuries: Hunter Wood: 10-day IL (shoulder), Tyler Glasnow: 10-day IL (forearm), Jose De Leon: 60-day IL (elbow), Anthony Banda: 60-day IL (elbow), Joey Wendle: 10-day IL (wrist), Matt Duffy: 60-day IL (back), Mike Zunino: 10-day IL (quad), Michael Perez: 10-day IL (oblique).

Yankees Injuries: Luis Severino: 60-day IL (shoulder), James Paxton: 10-day IL (knee), Jordan Montgomery: 60-day IL (elbow), Ben Heller: 60-day IL (elbow), Dellin Betances: 60-day IL (shoulder), Aaron Judge: 10-day IL (oblique), Aaron Hicks: 10-day IL (back), Jacoby Ellsbury: 60-day IL (hip), Troy Tulowitzki: 10-day IL (calf), Didi Gregorius: 60-day IL (elbow), Greg Bird: 10-day IL (foot), Giancarlo Stanton: 10-day IL (bicep).