The Yankees opened this three-game series against American League East rival Tampa Bay with a 5-3 win last night. <\/p>\n
Tampa Bay Rays vs. New York Yankees MLB Betting Preview Matchup<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Preview<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Tampa Bay is tied with the Baltimore Orioles at the top of the AL East, while the Yankees sit third in the standings. Raul Ibanez\u2019s two home runs propelled the Yankees to victory last night. Let\u2019s take a look at Game Two of this key series.<\/p>\n Jeff Niemann will be on the mound for the Rays in this one. Niemann has actually had quite a bit of success against the Yankees over the past few years. Niemann is 2-0 with a 3.00 ERA in four career starts at Yankee Stadium. Tampa Bay has managed to keep winning quite well, but their offense is severely short-handed right now.<\/p>\n Evan Longoria is out for a couple months with a hamstring injury. Desmond Jennings is expected to miss this game with a sprained knee. [dfads params=’groups=10&limit=1&return_javascript=0′]<\/p>\n The Rays offense has received a great boost from guys like Luke Scott and Carlos Pena this year. Scott has 7 homers and Pena has six already in 2012.<\/p>\n David Phelps will make his second career start for the Yankees Wednesday night. Phelps allowed just two runs in his first start last week, but he lasted only four innings. Nick Swisher has returned to the lineup, which should help the Yankees offense quite a bit. Derek Jeter continues his red hot start to 2012. Jeter is hitting .392 and he has an amazing .434 on-base-percentage.<\/p>\n Not many people expected that from Jeter, but he is showing he has plenty left in the tank. The Yankees lead the majors in home runs with 47 as a team. Curtis Granderson has piled up 10 homers so far this year. New York\u2019s defense has committed just nine errors all year, which is third best in the majors.<\/p>\n The Rays are actually 7-1 in their last 8 games against the Yankees. They are 4-1 in Niemann\u2019s last 5 starts against New York. At plus money, the Rays are a decent value here.<\/p>\n
\nStarting Pitchers: Tampa Bay (Niemann) vs. New York (Phelps)
\nDate\/Time: May 9, 7:05 p.m. EST
\nMLB Gambling Odds from TopBet
\nMoneyline: Yankees (-127) Rays (+117)
\nRunline: Yankees -1.5 (+155) Rays +1.5 (-175)
\nTotal: 9.5<\/strong><\/p>\n