New York Yankees vs Tampa Bay Rays Prediction, Preview and Odds - 07/08/2026

Game Time: 6:40 pm ET, Wednesday, July 8, 2026

Venue:  Tropicana Field, Petersburg, FL 

Where to Watch:  MLB TV, Prime Video

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Yankees +104, Rays -126; Over/Under:  7.5 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Yankees +105, Rays -125; Over/Under:  7.5 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Yankees +105, Rays -125; Over/Under:  7.5 runs

New York Yankees:  50-40 (2nd place, AL East)

Tampa Bay Rays:  52-36 (1st place, AL East)

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New York Yankees:  2-8 last 10

Tampa Bay Rays:  7-3 last 10

The Yankees are entering this series off a loss and lost their 3-game series against the Minnesota Twins 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 50-40 record overall and have a road record of 27-20. This is the 3rd game of a 4-game series with the Rays on Wednesday with the 2nd game still to be played on Tuesday. The Yankees won the series opener on Monday. Their offense ranks 10th in the MLB with a .735 OPS. Will Warren is their starting pitcher on Tuesday while Gerrit Cole is making his start in this game on Wednesday. He is 3-3 with a 4.01 ERA this season. His team lost 2 of their last 3 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season appearance, he allowed 2 ER, 1 HR, and 0 BB with 7 SO on 5 hits through 5 IP against the Minnesota Twins.

The Rays are entering this series off a loss and lost their 3-game series against the Houston Astros 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 52-36 record overall and have a home record of 31-13. This is the 3rd game of a 4-game series with the Yankees on Wednesday with the 2nd game of this series still to be played on Tuesday. The Rays lost the 1st game of this series on Monday. Their offense ranks 13th in the MLB with a .729 OPS. Ian Seymour is their starting pitcher on Tuesday while Shane McClanahan is making his start in this game on Wednesday. He is 7-5 with a 3.05 ERA this season. His team lost 4 of their last 5 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 0 earned runs, 0 homers, and 0 walks with 4 strikeouts on 3 hits through 6 innings pitched against the Kansas City Royals.

The current betting odds have the Rays listed as a slight favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Rays have looked great in their games this season with their 52-36 record overall which has them right at the top of the AL East with one of the best records in MLB. They have looked great in their own ballpark too with their 31-13 home record this season. Meanwhile, the Yankees have looked good in their games this season with their 50-40 record overall which has them right near the top of the AL East. They have been a good road team too with their 27-20 road record this year. The Yankees have looked terrible lately as they are 2-8 in their last 10 games and the Rays have been rolling, now 7-3 in their last 10 games. The Rays are going with McClanahan in this one and he has looked good this season. He is 7-5 with a 3.05 ERA and he hasn't been giving up many runs lately. The team has had some trouble with him lately, losing 4 of their last 5 games with him starting, but he is coming off a great start in which he gave up no runs and that has been a common theme for him. That trend of losing is due for a change against this slumping Yankees team and the Rays also have a really good bullpen to help him out. The Yankees are going with Cole in this one and he has looked good this season. He is 3-3 with a 4.01 ERA, but lately he hasn't looked that great. He only gave up 2 earned runs in his last start, but that hasn't been a common theme for him as of late, and the team has also lost 2 of their last 3 games with him starting. The Yankees haven't looked great offensively lately either and the Rays have looked like a different team in their home games this year, so look for the Rays to take advantage of this pitching matchup and continue rolling at home. The best way to place a bet here is on the Rays to win this game. 

Yankees Rays Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Wednesday, July 8, 2026 (6:40 pm ET start time) is Rays 4 Yankees 2.

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New York Yankees: 124-93 (+6.2 units) on the moneyline in road games. 150-91 (+13 units) on the moneyline vs. an AL team with a slugging percentage .410 or worse on the season. 35-18 (+9.4 units) on the moneyline vs. a starting pitcher whose lasts less than 5 innings per start. 27-18 UNDER in road games.

Tampa Bay Rays: 209-203 (-6.8 units) on the moneyline in all games. 152-151 (-10.2 units) on the moneyline against right-handed starters. 129-134 (-16.8 units) on the moneyline vs. an AL team with an on base percentage .330 or worse. 10-3 UNDER vs. good power teams - averaging 1.25 or more HR's/game.

New York Yankees:  C. Rodon (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Elbow. A. Judge (RF) Ten Day IL - Rib. M. Fried (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Elbow. G. Stanton (DH) Ten Day IL - Leg. C. Schmidt (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow.

Tampa Bay Rays:  S. Matz (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Ankle. J. Heasley (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. G. Lux (LF) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder. J. Scholtens (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Wrist. J. Fraley (RF) Ten Day IL - Groin. R. Pepiot (SP) Sixty Day IL - Hip. E. Uceta (RP) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder. S. Wilson (RP) Sixty Day IL - Back. M. Rodriguez (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow.

“It was huge. I’m not surprised he bounced back. He was dominant, he was efficient and it was a great way to get the road trip started.” - Aaron Boone after his team’s win against the Rays in their game on Monday.

“The two walks came back and bit us a little bit. We're probably not talking about if it's not followed with the home run that opens the game up and separates it for them. But got to be really pleased with the way his arsenal attacked that Yankee lineup. Just a bunch of strikeouts, a bunch of swing and miss and a lot of strikes.” - Kevin Cash after his team’s loss against the Yankees in their game on Monday.

Trent Grisham (L) CF

Ben Rice (L) DH

Paul Goldschmidt (R) 1B

Cody Bellinger (L) LF

Jasson Domínguez (S) RF

Jazz Chisholm Jr. (L) 2B

José Caballero (R) SS

Ryan McMahon (L) 3B

Austin Wells (L) C

Yandy Díaz (R) DH

Jonathan Aranda (L) 1B

Junior Caminero (R) 3B

Cedric Mullins (L) CF

Jonny DeLuca (R) RF

Chandler Simpson (L) LF

Nick Fortes (R) C

Richie Palacios (L) 2B

Taylor Walls (S) SS

Batting Average:  Ben Rice (.267)

Hits:  Ben Rice (84)

Home Runs:  Ben Rice (25)

RBI:  Ben Rice (57)

Stolen Bases:  Jazz Chisholm (26)

Wins:  Cam Schlittler (9)

Saves:  David Bednar (17)

ERA:  Yovanny Cruz (0.00)

Batting Average:  Yandy Díaz (.317)

Hits:  Yandy Díaz (101)

Home Runs:  Junior Caminero (26)

RBI:  Jonathan Aranda (58)

Stolen Bases:  Chandler Simpson (21)

Wins:  Nick Martinez (7)

Saves:  Bryan Baker (23)

ERA:  Michael Grove (0.00)

Managers:

New York Yankees: Aaron Boone (9th season)

Tampa Bay Rays: Kevin Cash (12th season)