Yankees vs. Rays Game 4 odds
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The New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays will put their seasons on the line in ALDS Game 5 on Friday. Here are your best bets for the game.

The New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays are playing a winner-take-all ALDS Game 5 on Friday night. To put it another way, the competitive stars have aligned for the most exciting possible outcome for this series.

The winner will advance to the ALCS to take on the most hated team in America, the Houston Astros. Bullpens will be emptied. Excitement will be shared.

Yankees vs. Rays Game 5 Odds

Here are the current odds on ALDS Game 5 between the Yankees and Rays.

 

Yankees vs. Rays Game 5 Odds Boosts

FanDuel Sportsbook

Anything can happen in a do-or-die game like this. Most expect to see a close battle that comes down to the wire, but if you think the Yankees are going to win this one in a blowout, FanDuel Sportsbook has you covered.

FanDuel Sportsbook is boosting odds on the Yankees to win by 4+ runs from +280 to +360. With Cole on the mound, it might not take an offensive explosion from the Yankees to hit this boost.

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PointsBet Sportsbook

PointsBet Sportsbook is going with a superbooster on Yankees moneyline once again, this time boosting the odds from -165 to -140. This isn’t a massive boost by any stretch, but for bettors who are looking for the Yankees moneyline, you won’t find better odds on it anywhere else.

PointsBet Sportsbook

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Yankees vs. Rays Game 5 Betting Preview

This is why the Yankees signed Gerrit Cole

Gerrit Cole is getting the ball for the Yankees in a winner-take-all game. This is the exact purpose for which he received a record contract. These are the games that turn players into Yankee legends.

So you can bet the last dollar you have the Cole is going to dominate this game — even on short rest. Even against Ji-Man Choi, who basically turns into Barry Bonds against him. Cole came to New York to win postseason baseball games and that’s exactly what he will do.

Of course, the Rays have a few horses of their own. Tyler Glasnow will start the game on just two days of rest. Blake Snell should be available. And the Rays top bullpen arms got a day off in the Thursday night loss.

So there’s a good chance this will become a collective pitching duel. A top-three pitcher in baseball against Kevin Cash’s stable of relievers.

The best of the best will take the mound with no regard for future availability. Because for the losing team, there won’t be a future in 2020.

Yankees power bats need to show up

Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, and Luke Voit need to produce in this game. The offense often hinges on them. And so far, Stanton has been the only one carrying his weight.

Judge and Voit have contributed, but not consistently enough. Now is the time for them to snap into shape. Voit flashed the power on Thursday with a long home run to give the Yankees a lead. Hopefully, that marks the end of his slump just in time for the most important game of the year.

As for Judge, he’s been an offensive black hole this series. He’s just 2-for-18 with one home run and two RBIs. He is the most dangerous bat in the Yankees lineup and he needs to show us why on Friday.

Return to bullpen success

The Yankees turned in fantastic relief outings on Thursday from Chad Green, Zack Britton, and Aroldis Chapman. They need to do it again on Friday. What’s more, with Cole going on short rest, the need for middle relief could very well arise. Adam Ottavino and Jonathan Holder need to be ready for their best outings of the year. Deivi Garcia and Jonathan Loaisiga could also be available options for some length.

This Rays lineup is nasty. They have power, depth, and the ability to hit for contact. Kevin Cash can throw Yankees relievers a lot of different matchups over the course of the game and the bullpen needs to be ready to battle all of them. If called upon early, they need to bridge the gap to the true horses in the backend.

Yankees vs. Rays Game 5 Prediction

Gerrit Cole is too dominant to let the Rays win this game. He’s going to be amped up, working with high velocity, and dismantling hitters with precision sliders. The Yankees offense should be able to step up enough to give him the run support he needs.

Yankees vs. Rays Game 5 Pick

I’m going with the Yankees moneyline. No messing around with spreads or over-unders. Take the Yankees to win this game, whatever it takes.

Lifetime ballplayer and Yankee fan. Strongly believe that the eye-test and advanced stats can be used together instead of against each other.