Cooper Albers previews Friday’s MLB game between the New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field.

After spending last year in their spring training ballpark, the Tampa Bay Rays welcome the New York Yankees back to Tropicana Field Friday night to kick off a three-game series. 

The Yankees (8–4, 1st AL East) have gotten off to an impressive start, now looking to rebound from their first series loss at the hands of the Athletics in the Bronx. Meanwhile, the Rays (5–7, 3rd AL East) dropped their first series at the Trop after squandering Wednesday’s rubber match against the Chicago Cubs. 

Looking at the pitching probables, right-hander Luis Gil is tabbed for his first start of the 2026 campaign for the Yanks, while southpaw Steven Matz is expected to toe the slab for the Rays. 

First pitch is set for 7:10 p.m. ET. New York enters as a 1.5-run road favorite on DraftKings Sportsbook, while Tampa Bay sits as a +109 underdog. The game total is set at O/U eight runs.

Yankees vs. Rays Preview

New York Yankees

The Yankees boast the top ERA in the American League (2.35), and their ERA among starters (2.14) paces the majors by over .50 points. Not bad for a rotation missing Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon, and Clarke Schmidt. 

On Friday, New York will attempt to bolster its pitching staff by welcoming erratic right-hander Luis Gil back to the starting five. The 2024 AL Rookie of the Year began this season in Triple-A after an injury-riddled and deflating follow-up campaign in 2025. While surface-level stats remained impressive, Gil struggled to limit traffic thanks to regressed strikeout numbers and a bloated walk rate. When he’s on his game, Gil is one of the most brilliant young arms in baseball. But his consistency remains a question mark heading into his first start of the year. 

However, Gil could emulate prime Randy Johnson Friday night, and it wouldn’t matter if New York continues swinging as it did over the past two games against the Athletics. 

The Yankees were held to two runs on four hits on Wednesday before getting no-hit through seven innings in Thursday’s 1–0 shutout loss — wasting an eight-inning gem from Ryan Weathers.  While Ben Rice has arguably been the best hitter in baseball, and Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger will heat up in due time, the club is desperate for production from their lifeless 6-through-9.

Tampa Bay Rays

Navigating Tampa Bay’s lineup is a daunting assignment. The Rays rank seventh leaguewide in wRC+ (109) and own MLB’s lowest strikeout rate (18.3%). Their offensive surge has been driven by scorching starts from Jonathan Aranda, Yandy Diaz, and Chandler Simpson, each posting an OPS north of .860. And once Junior Caminero finds his groove, this group becomes even more dangerous.

But the Rays have struggled immensely on the other side of the ball, their pitching staff sitting in MLB’s bottom three for ERA (28th), HR/9 (28th), and left-on-base percentage (30th). Compounding the issue, Wednesday’s 6-2 loss to the Cubs was catalyzed by three defensive errors — the third time this season that Tampa Bay has committed that many errors in a game. 

The club will look to correct those issues Friday night when veteran southpaw Steven Matz makes his third start of the season. The New York native rebounded from a shaky first outing, spinning six innings of one-run ball with eight strikeouts in Saturday’s win over the Twins. But while he continues to attack hitters, his sinker has lost nearly two mph of zip from last season — making it harder for him to avoid loud contact early on. 

Yankees vs. Rays Pick, Best Bet

Friday’s opener in Tampa Bay sets up for a slugfest. New York’s sleeping giant of an offense won’t stay quiet for long, and this is a prime spot to erupt against a meatball-throwing lefty backed by a shaky defense. Meanwhile, the volatile Gil could struggle to contain a red-hot Rays lineup, especially with a Caminero breakout looming. Expect fireworks in St. Pete.  

Best Bet: Game Total Over 8 Runs (-119)