Rays vs. Yankees: Game 3, prediction, odds, injuries and picks

The Rays and Yankees are set to tussle in the decider in Game 3 of their three-game set in the Bronx. After a shutout win in Game 1, the Bombers were narrowly edged out by the Rays in yesterday's game.

Yesterday's contest featured a neck-and-neck battle between the two AL East contenders. However, the visitors had the last laugh when they produced two runs in the eighth courtesy of Curtis Mead and Jose Caballero that ultimately proved to be the separation needed in the 3-2 victory.

Rays vs Yankees recent form and records

Tampa Bay's victory in Game 2 gave the squad a 15-18 record and, more importantly, put the team above .500 in road games. The Rays are 8-10 against teams over .500 this year so a win today against the AL East leaders would be a welcome sight.

On the other hand, the Yankees have won just five of their last ten games. After a sizzling start to the year, blunders and bullpen issues have plagued the reigning American League champions. Nevertheless, the Bombers still hold the lead in the division with a 19-14 card.

Players to watch

Starting pitchers

TB: Taj Bradley (2-2, 4.58 ERA, 29 K), NYY: Will Warren (1-1, 5.63 ERA, 26 K)

Tampa Bay Rays

Taj Bradley has been assigned to close the series for the Rays. The 24-year-old holds a 2-2 record with a 4.58 ERA across six starts this year.

Must-Watch Hitters

New York Yankees

It's almost impossible to describe how sensational a start that Yankee captain and AL MVP Aaron Judge has had this year. Judge leads all of the majors in base hits, RBIs, and slash line. He is batting .432/.520/.792 with an OPS of 1.312 with 11 home runs and 33 RBIs on 54 base hits. Per Baseball Reference, Judge has already recorded a 3.0 WAR in not even two months of the season.

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Rays vs Yankees baseball betting odds

Sunday, 5/4	Money Line	Run Spread	Total Runs
TB	+156	+1.5, -138	O 8.5, -126
NYY	-175	-1.5, +114	U 8.5, +104

Rays vs Yankees expert picks and game prediction

When it comes to the battle of starters, the Rays have the upper hand as they will start Taj Bradley against the struggling Will Warren. With the Bombers being barely edged out yesterday, the team is primed to bounce back from the surprising loss. It would be interesting to see how Tampa Bay contains the rest of the Yankee offense while Aaron Judge carries the load as he's consistently done this year.

Run Line: -1.5, +114

Total Runs: U 8.5, +104

Prediction: NYY wins, 4-2

About the author

Daniel Santiago is a journalist who has been reporting on baseball at Sportskeeda since 2022. He was drawn towards the sport after the underlying statistics and the analysis surrounding it grabbed his attention.

Daniel particularly enjoys furnishing reports about historic events in baseball and analyzing the game through a statistic-based outlook, based on Fangraphs and Baseball-Reference. This is in line with how he enjoyed watching baseball as a pastime. As a writer, he is very particular about cross-checking from reputable sources and doing his due diligence.

He became a lifelong Hideki Matsui fan after his exploits in the 2009 World Series for the New York Yankees. Among the current generation, Daniel's favorites include Shohei Ohtani and Jung Hoo Lee. Daniel is a huge follower of Asian baseball and both Ohtani and Lee have been in the top echelon of their respective leagues during their time with the NPB and KBO.

His favorite moment as a baseball fan was the final at-bat of the 2023 World Baseball Classic between Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout. He believes there aren't many words to fittingly describe the intensity of the moment.

As an avid sports fan, Daniel watches other sports and Esports when not writing about baseball.

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Edited by Daniel Santiago

Rays vs. Yankees: Game 3, prediction, odds, injuries and picks - May 4, MLB 2025