New York Yankees vs Tampa Bay Rays Picks and Predictions for Wednesday, July 8, 2026

By: Cameron Ross Published 07/08/2026, 12:00 AM ET

Yankees vs Rays Game Information

The New York Yankees stay on the road Wednesday afternoon for a 1:10 PM matchup in St. Petersburg, FL, against the Tampa Bay Rays. New York has 50 wins and 41 losses this season, but has lost 4 of the last 6 games played following their loss on Tuesday. The Tampa Bay Rays stay home on Wednesday as the top team in the American League East with 53 victories following their win Tuesday night. Stay in the news with our MLB Picks.

Yankees Preview

The New York Yankees offense has compiled a .233 batting average this season as they have scored 432 runs on 694 hits. New York has a .316 OBP and a .419 team slugging percentage this season. The New York pitching has been the team's biggest strength, with a 3.37 team ERA. Ben Rice does everything for the New York offense, leading the team with a .267 batting average, 25 home runs, and 57 RBI's

Rays Preview

The Tampa Bay offense has a .258 batting average as the Rays have scored 397 runs on 755 hits. Tampa Bay has a .335 OBP and a .394 team slugging percentage. The Tampa Bay pitching has been stout as well this season, with a 3.76 team ERA. Yandy Diaz leads the Tampa Bay offense this season with a .317 batting average. Junior Caminero has a .284 batting average and leads the team with 26 home runs. Jonathan Aranda has a .283 batting average along with the team-leading 58 RBI's this year.

Yankees vs Rays Pitching Matchup

The Yankees have yet to announce a starter for Wednesday's afternoon game and will likely depend on their bullpen in game 3 of this series. Drew Rasmussen will take the mound on Wednesday at home for the Rays. Rasmussen is 7-4 with a 2.78 ERA through 97 innings of work.

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Yankees vs Rays Pick

Tampa Bay is the better team in this matchup and will have the edge on both sides of the dish. Tampa Bay will be looking to extend its division lead on Wednesday afternoon with another victory at home. Look for the Rays to do the work on both sides of the dish as they overwhelm New York, leading to the victory.

Pick: Tampa Bay Rays
Secondary: Over
Lean: Yandy Diaz Over 1.5 Bases

Final Score Prediction: Tampa Bay Rays win 9-4.

Game Written Prior to completion of game on Tuesday.