The Rays have a chance of evening the AL East race and capture their eighth straight win in the process.
New York Yankees at Tampa Bay Rays
New York has acquired Astros first baseman Lance Berkman for the playoff push, but it’s unclear if he will be available for tonight’s contest. “That’s great,” said first baseman Mark Teixeira. “It’s going to be good for the clubhouse.” The Yankees may have started feeling the pressure of the race, as tonight’s opponent is just a game behind them. The club still owns the best record in baseball, but dropped to 31-21 on the road this season with least night’s loss (+210). New York has been a road underdog of +100 to +125 just seven times this season (+180), with the total being 4-3 O/U in those games. The Bronx Bombers are an even 8-8 when playing on Saturdays (-520), while sporting a healthy 22-13 mark against the division (+440). The Yankees are 4-5 versus the Rays this season, but have won 26 of the last 43 meetings.
Detroit will look avoid its first 10-game losing streak away from home since it ended the 2005 campaign in that fashion. The club has dropped 12 of its last 15 games overall. One good thing going for the Tigers is the fact that the Rays have never swept them in a four-game series at Tropicana Field. Detroit is currently in a stretch of playing 11-straight games against AL East opponents, producing a 10-7 record versus the division so far this season. The Tigers have also managed to still win eight of their last 14 games in Tampa Bay despite dropping the first three games of this series. In 27 games against southpaw starters this year, the team is a solid 17-10 (+730) and the total is 15-12 O/U in those contests.
Detroit split a day-night doubleheder against the Blue Jays at Comerica Park on Sunday and now begin a seven-day road trip with the first game of four against the Tampa Bay Rays. The Tigers have won eight of the last 11 meetings versus the Rays dating back to September 25, 2008. The club has compiled a 10-4 mark against teams from the AL East division. Detroit hopes to turn things around starting with the series, losing nine of its last 12 games and falling two games behind the Chicago White Sox in the AL Central race. This may prove difficult considering the Tigers are 16-29 away from Comerica Park on the year (-1,350) and have averaged just 2.2 runs in losing six straight on the road. After playing 20 games this month, the Tigers have compiled an even 10-10 record in July (-190).
