Tampa Bay Rays @ New York Yankees: Lineups, Preview, Predictions
Brad Penner-USATSI

After defeating the Rays in game one of the four-game series, the Yankees look to keep their hot streak rolling entering game two.

  • Tampa Bay Rays (59-80)
  • New York Yankees (74-65)
  • American League, 7:05 PM ET, YES Network
  • Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY

On Thursday night, game one of the series would be a back and forth game that left fans once again on the edge of their seats. It ended the way that the New York Yankees were hoping it would, with a win.

Baby bomber Tyler Austin hit an opposite field walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning, with two outs. With the Yankee pitching giving up four runs, the offense came alive, and Brian McCann hit two home runs along with Austin’s clutch walk-off homer.

After the win, the Yankees are in a promising situation to make it to postseason baseball. They are currently four games back from first place in the division, as well as being only two games back from the second wild-card spot.

Tonight, the Yankees send Michael Pineda to the mound in hopes to tuck another win under their belt.

Pineda is coming off an outing where he gave up two earned runs in only four innings pitched against the Baltimore Orioles. Pineda was pulled early due to his high pitch count of 87 pitches in just four innings.

In three starts against this year against the Rays, Pineda has struggled. He 11.05 ERA which is a result of him giving up 18 earned runs in 14.2 innings pitched.

Opposing him will be Rays rookie, Blake Snell, who has a 3.39 ERA in 15 starts in his career.

Snell has faced the Yankees two times in 2016, pitching very well both times. In 10.1 innings, Snell has only given up three earned runs which is impressive for a rookie facing the deep Yankees’ lineup.

Lineups:

Roster Move:

Early on Friday, the Yankees made the decision to recall Richard Bleier who will join Tommy Layne as another left-handed pitcher in the bullpen. In 16 appearances with the Yankees this season, Bleier has a credible 3.38 ERA.

Player To Watch:

Tyler Austin

Austin is undoubtedly entering this game as the hottest hitter in the Yankees lineup and could do some damage against the Rays’ lefty.

In his last five games, Austin is batting .435 with two home runs which has been a key to the Yankees’ recent shift in momentum. He has a total of five RBI’s within this span as well and has been a rock in the Yankees lineup.

After providing a walk-off home run last night, Austin will be looking to carry his hot bat into game two of the series.

This Day In Yankees History:

In 1998, the historically epic Yankees defeated the Red Sox by a score of 7-5 at Fenway Park, clinching them a postseason birth. The victory moved the Yankees to 20.5 games in front of the Red Sox, and helped them become the earliest team in American League history to clinch a playoff birth.

Bold Prediction:

Austin will go 2-for-4 with a double and three RBI’s to help the Yankees defeat the Rays in game two by a score of 5-2. This would mean that the Yankees will extend their winning streak to six games.

NEXT: The New York Yankees Are Legit

My name is Patrick Hennessy and I am an Editor as well as the Lead Trending Writer here at ESNY. I mainly cover the New York Yankees, but I also reach out to many branches of the sports world. I have had the opportunity to broadcast my work on many different platforms and I plan on continue doing so.