Yankees vs Rays Prediction 8/20/2025 Today’s MLB Picks

In this article we will formulate a Yankees vs Rays prediction for this MLB game on Wednesday, August 20th at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Florida. Let’s take a look at the prediction for this MLB matchup. 

New York Yankees Betting Preview

The New York Yankees are 68-57 this year after they won game one by a score of 13-3 on Tuesday night. New York jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the second inning and they never looked back for the easy win. The Yankees recorded 16 hits and they committed one error in the game, while they were led by Stanton, who went 2-3 with two home runs and four RBIs in the win. NY started Rodon, who allowed five hits and two earned runs over 6.0 innings for the win, while De los Santos allowed one earned run in relief. 

Prior to this series, the Yankees swept the Cardinals in three games and won two out of three against the Twins. New York has won six of their last seven games and they are currently second in the AL East standings. The New York pitching staff has a 4.01 ERA with a 1.25 WHIP and a .229 opponent batting average, while the offense has scored 649 runs with a .251 batting average and a .332 on base percentage this season. Aaron Judge has led New York with 40 home runs and 92 RBIs, while Cody Bellinger has added 24 home runs and 75 RBIs this year. The projected starting pitcher for New York is Cam Schlittler, who is 1-2 with a 3.94 ERA and a 1.52 WHIP over 29.2 innings pitched this year. 

Tampa Bay Rays Betting Preview

The Tampa Bay Rays are 61-65 this season after they lost game one in blowout fashion on Tuesday night. Tampa Bay did cut the deficit to 5-2 in the second inning, but it was all downhill after that for the loss. The Rays recorded eight hits in the game and they were led by Simpson, Mangum, and Fortes, who all had one RBI in the loss. TB started Baz, who allowed seven hits and six earned runs over 3.0 innings for the loss, while Seymour allowed six earned runs in relief. 

Prior to this series, the Rays won two out of three against the Giants and two out of three against the Athletics. Tampa Bay has won three of their last five games and they are currently fourth in the AL East standings. The Tampa Bay pitching staff has a 3.99 ERA with a 1.22 WHIP and a .239 opponent batting average, while the offense has scored 559 runs with a .250 batting average and a .313 on base percentage this season. Junior Caminero has led Tampa Bay with 35 home runs and 85 RBIs, while Brandon Lowe has added 24 home runs and 61 RBIs for the Rays this year. The projected starting pitcher for Tampa Bay is Drew Rasmussen, who is 10-5 with a 2.60 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP over 117.2 innings pitched this season. 

Why the Yankees will beat the Rays

• The Yankees have won each of their last nine Wednesday night games against the Rays.
• The Rays have lost each of their last six night games against teams that held a winning record.
• The Rays have failed to cover the run line in each of their last nine home games against American League opponents after playing the previous day.
• The Yankees have covered the run line in eight of their last nine games as road underdogs against AL East opponents.
• The Rays have lost the first inning in each of their last three home games against AL East opponents.
• The Rays have trailed after 5 innings in four of their last five home games against AL East opponents that held a winning record.
• The Rays have trailed after 3 innings in four of their last five home games against AL East opponents that held a winning record.

Total Runs Facts

• Four of the Rays’ last five games have gone OVER the total runs line.
• Each of the Yankees’ last three road games have gone OVER the total runs line.
• The ‘Inning 1 OVER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the Rays’ last four games as favorites against AL East opponents.
• The ‘Inning 1 OVER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in six of the Yankees’ last seven games as road underdogs against AL East opponents.

Tampa Bay Rays Player Prop Facts

• Junior Caminero ranks 6th in the league in Home Runs (35) this season.

New York Yankees Player Prop Facts

• Aaron Judge ranks 1st amongst qualified players for Slugging Percentage (.687) this season.

Matchup/League Facts

• The Rays rank 26th in the league for walks this season (362).
• The Rays rank 5th in the league for walks allowed this season (354).
• The Yankees rank 1st in the league for walks this season (481).
• The Yankees rank 2nd in the league for RBIs this season (611).

Yankees vs Rays Prediction 

New York continues to play some of their best baseball in recent weeks and they showed some impressive power in their win on Tuesday. The Yankees are 31-32 on the road this year, while the Rays are 32-31 at home. Tampa Bay has allowed 20 runs in their last two games and they are starting Rasmussen, who has allowed a total of one earned run over his last three outings. New York is going with Schlittler, who has allowed two earned runs or fewer in three straight. Rasmussen is the better option on the mound, but I am going to side with the New York bats here.