New York Yankees vs Tampa Bay Rays Prediction, Preview and Odds - 08/20/2025

Game Time: 7:35 pm ET, Wednesday, August 20, 2025

Venue:  George M. Steinbrenner Field, Tampa, FL 

Where to Watch:  YES, FDSSUN

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Yankees -101, Rays -121; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Yankees +100, Rays -120; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Yankees +100, Rays -120; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

New York Yankees:  67-57 (2nd place, AL East)

Tampa Bay Rays:  61-64 (4th place, AL East)

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New York Yankees:  7-3 last 10

Tampa Bay Rays:  5-5 last 10

The Yankees are entering this series off a win and completed the sweep in their 3-game series against the St Louis Cardinals 3-0 in their last series. They enter this game with a 67-57 record overall and have a road record of 30-32. This is the series finale of a 2-game series with the Rays on Wednesday with the series opener still to be played on Tuesday. Their offense ranks 1st in the MLB with a .776 OPS. Carlos Rodón is their starting pitcher on Tuesday while rookie pitcher Cam Schlittler is making his start in this game on Wednesday. He is 1-2 with a 3.94 ERA this season. His team lost their last 4 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 1 ER, 0 HR, and 2 BB with 6 SO on 2 hits through 5 IP against the Minnesota Twins.

The Rays are entering this series off a loss and won their 3-game series against the San Francisco Giants 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 61-64 record overall and have a home record of 32-30. This is the 2nd game of a 2-game series with the Yankees on Wednesday with the 1st game of this series still to be played on Tuesday. Their offense ranks 17th in the MLB with a .711 OPS. Shane Baz is their starting pitcher on Tuesday while Drew Rasmussen is making his start in this game on Wednesday. He is 10-5 with a 2.60 ERA this season. His team won 4 of their last 5 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 1 earned run, 1 homer, and 0 walks with 5 strikeouts on 3 hits through 6 innings pitched against the Athletics.

The current betting odds have the Rays listed as a slight favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Yankees have looked good in their games this season with their 67-57 record overall which has them right in the middle of the AL East and in the Wild Card race. They haven't been a great road team though with their 30-32 road record this season. Meanwhile, the Rays haven't looked good in their games this season with their 61-64 record overall which has them right near the bottom of the AL East. They have looked better in their own ballpark though with their 32-30 home record this year. The Yankees have looked like the better team lately as they are starting to get hot again, going 7-3 in their last 10 games while the Rays are only 5-5, but the Rays do have the better pitching matchup in this one and they can take advantage of that at home. The Rays are going with Rasmussen in this one and he has looked great this season. He is 10-5 with a 2.60 ERA and has been a bright spot for this Rays rotation. He is coming off another good start in which he only gave up 1 earned run and the team has had a ton of success with him lately, winning 4 of their last 5 games with him starting. The Yankees are going with Schlittler in this one and he hasn't looked great in his rookie season. He is 1-2 with a 3.94 ERA and the team has been struggling a lot with him lately. He only gave up 1 earned run in his last start, but that hasn't been a common theme for him and the team has lost 4 games in a row now with him starting too. The Rays haven't been at their best lately, but they have looked better at home this season and Rasmussen gives them their best chance to take a game in this series. The best way to place a bet here is on the Rays to win this game. 

Yankees Rays Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Wednesday, August 20, 2025 (7:35 pm ET start time) is Rays 3 Yankees 1.

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New York Yankees: 250-211 (-30.4 units) on the moneyline in all games. 81-93 (-17.4 units) on the moneyline when the money line is +125 to -125. 62-75 (-29 units) on the moneyline against division opponents. 34-20 UNDER vs. a starting pitcher whose lasts less than 5 innings per start.

Tampa Bay Rays: 130-105 (+10.4 units) on the moneyline when the total is 8 to 8.5. 105-79 (+9.6 units) on the moneyline when the money line is -100 to -150. 74-71 (+6.9 units) on the moneyline vs. teams outscoring opp by 0.5 or more runs/game on the season. 9-4 UNDER revenging a same season 3 game sweep at the hands of their opponents.

New York Yankees:  A. Rosario (3B) Ten Day IL - Joint. A. Slater (LF) Ten Day IL - Hamstring. J. Loaisiga (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Back. C. Schmidt (SP) Sixty Day IL - Forearm. F. Cruz (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Oblique. R. Yarbrough (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Oblique. O. Cabrera (3B) Sixty Day IL - Ankle. J. Cousins (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. G. Cole (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow.

Tampa Bay Rays:  J. Lowe (RF) Day To Day - Oblique. T. Walls (SS) Ten Day IL - Groin. J. DeLuca (CF) Ten Day IL - Hamstring. J. Aranda (1B) Ten Day IL - Wrist. S. Fairchild (RF) Ten Day IL - Oblique. H. Bigge (RP) Sixty Day IL - Lat. R. Palacios (LF) Sixty Day IL - Knee. M. Rodriguez (RP) Sixty Day IL - Forearm. S. McClanahan (SP) Sixty Day IL - Triceps. A. Faedo (RP) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder. N. Lavender (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow.

“I thought the at-bats were, again, really good today. Just the value of putting the ball in play there at the end, taking advantage of the mistake. Good way to finish up into an off-day.” - Aaron Boone after his team’s win against the Cardinals in their game on Sunday.

“I’m glad we were able to get to .500. I think we would all agree that we needed to do better and get more wins. We’re ready to go home.” - Kevin Cash after his team’s loss against the Giants in their game on Sunday.

Trent Grisham (L) CF

Ben Rice (L) C

Aaron Judge (R) DH

Cody Bellinger (L) RF

Jazz Chisholm Jr. (L) 2B

Paul Goldschmidt (R) 1B

Jasson Domínguez (S) LF

Ryan McMahon (L) 3B

José Caballero (R) SS

Chandler Simpson (L) LF

Yandy Díaz (R) DH

Brandon Lowe (L) 2B

Junior Caminero (R) 3B

Jake Mangum (S) RF

Ha-Seong Kim (R) SS

Hunter Feduccia (L) C

Everson Pereira (R) CF

Bob Seymour (L) 1B

Batting Average:  Amed Rosario (.429)

Hits:  Aaron Judge (137)

Home Runs:  Aaron Judge (39)

RBI:  Aaron Judge (91)

Stolen Bases:  Jazz Chisholm (21)

Wins:  Max Fried (13)

Saves:  Devin Williams (17)

ERA:  Adam Ottavino (0.00)

Batting Average:  Richie Palacios (.750)

Hits:  Yandy Díaz (133)

Home Runs:  Junior Caminero (35)

RBI:  Junior Caminero (85)

Stolen Bases:  José Caballero (34)

Wins:  Drew Rasmussen (10)

Saves:  Pete Fairbanks (22)

ERA:  Connor Seabold (1.35)

Managers:

New York Yankees: Aaron Boone (8th season)

Tampa Bay Rays: Kevin Cash (11th season)