Rays at Yankees
Luis Severino looks to rebound from his first loss in two months and become the third 10-game winner in the majors when the New York Yankees host the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday afternoon in the third of a four-game series. Severino had a 10-start unbeaten streak snapped last time out but he is 3-0 with six runs allowed in his last four starts versus the Rays.
New York made it two in a row over Tampa Bay with a 5-0 victory Friday night, improving to a major league-best 25-10 at home with its 12th victory in 15 games. Catcher Gary Sanchez, mired in a 1-for-31 slump entering Friday's game, delivered a three-run double for his first RBIs in June and Didi Gregorius homered among three hits for the Yankees. The Rays arrived in New York off a three-game sweep of Toronto but managed only four hits Friday to fall to 0-4 against the Yankees this season. Rookie first baseman Jake Bauers is 0-for-7 with five strikeouts in the series following a five-game hitting streak for Tampa Bay.
TV: 1:05 p.m. ET, MLB Network, FS Sun (Tampa Bay), YES (New York)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Rays RH Ryne Stanek (1-1, 2.76 ERA) vs. Yankees RH Luis Severino (9-2, 2.27)
Ryan Stanek is expected to be the designated opener and is scheduled to be followed by left-hander Ryan Yarbrough as Tampa Bay goes to its bullpen to take the lead in the next two games. Stanek has been idle since Tuesday, when he opened versus Toronto and retired all six batters he faced in two spotless innings. Yarbrough earned his fifth win with six innings of four-run ball against the Blue Jays on Monday.
Severino allowed just two runs and five hits over five innings in a loss to the New York Mets on Sunday, which also ended a string of 10 consecutive quality starts dating to a loss at Boston on April 10. He handled the Rays with ease in his second start of the season, earning the victory with 7 1/3 innings of two-run ball. Severino is 5-0 with a 1.79 ERA and .174 batting average against in seven home starts this season.
WALK-OFFS
1. Yankees RF Aaron Judge had his second straight two-hit game to improve to 7-for-14 with seven runs scored in four games versus the Rays this season.
3. Rays CF Mallex Smith has hit safely in eight of the last nine games.
3. Gregorius is 5-for-10 with three homers in his last three games