Yanks Look to Cole To Right The Ship As Red-Hot Start Has Faded

This four-game series began with the Tampa Rays on the ropes and a great opportunity for New York to put some increased distance between them in the standings. While that might still happen, yesterday’s limp effort by the Yankees is not instilling confidence in anyone that it will.

Masahiro Tanaka was his usual dominant self against the Rays, but the New York pitching staff was basically betrayed by anemic hitting, bad base-running and an untimely defensive lapse. If the hitting funk continues and there is no run support for Gerrit Cole in game one of today’s twin bill, the possibility of getting swept becomes far more real.

Tampa had dropped 5 of 6 before yesterday’s win. If you combine the cluster of the 11-7 loss to Philly and this 1-0 preventable loss to Tampa, that’s 2 stinkers out of the last 3 for the Yankees.

In this short season, there is no margin for extended bad play. By the end of next week, a full one-third of the season will be completed.

So let’s prep our fantasy MLB lineup for today’s first game.

DRAFTKINGS CONTEST : Lineup tips and player salaries are for the first game only of today’s doubleheader: MLB $1K Quarter Jukebox contest starting at 2:10pm EST, 11:10am PT. As usual, DraftKings will not make the second game available.

TV / RADIO : TV: YES, Radio: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280; Tampa TV: Fox Sports Sun; Radio: WDAE 620AM/95.3 FM

THE WISE GUYS : Once again the sportsbooks have the pinstripes down as favorites with a moneyline of New York -152, Tampa +142. This means you’d bet $152 on the Yankees to win $100, or bet $100 on the Rays to win $142. The Over/Under is 7.5.

FAST FACTS :

• New York is 3-6 straight up over their last 9 games versus the Rays.
• The over/under has gone UNDER in each of New York’s previous 5 road games in Tampa.

BALLPARK CONDITIONS : The temperature should be a pleasant 72° inside Tropicana Field, a domed stadium in St. Petersburg, Florida with horrible lighting and Little League ground rules (see ground rules here).

PITCHING MATCHUP : Yankees ace Gerrit Cole (3-0, 2.55 ERA, WHIP 0.79, 16Ks, $10,700) takes the mound for New York with the 6’8″ righty Tyler Glasnow (0-0, 3.12 ERA, WHIP 1.04, 14Ks, $9,400) going for the Rays.

A native of Newhall, California, Glasnow was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 5th round of the 2011 MLB Amateur Draft. He made his MLB debut in 2016, and broke into the Bucs starting rotation in 2017 — which was a tough season and the club moved him to the bullpen for the 2018 campaign. In July of that year Glasnow (and Austin Meadows) were traded to Tampa for then-Rays ace Chris Archer.

Under the Rays program, Glasnow has begun to show the promise of his early professional career. Not a good thing for the Yankees right now.

Given the Bronx Bombers being anything but lately, Game One today has the potential for disaster. Glasnow relies mainly on a 98mph four-seam fastball that results in above league average swing and miss numbers — one thing the Yankees are doing consistently at the moment.

His secondary pitch is an 83mph breaking ball, along with a seldom used change up (low 90s). Glasnow has allowed 4 hits across 35 innings so far in 2020, and is equally nasty against lefty and righty hitters (.154 and .118 respectively).

For New York, Cole will take his 97mph four-seam fastball, along with a 90mph slider and low-80s curveball against a Tampa squad that was kept in check by yesterday’s starter Masahiro Tanaka.

YANKEES HITTING NOTES : Nothing to speak of in terms of Glasnow vs current Yankee hitters, only Giancarlo Stanton ($5,400) has homered off him. Today’s probable starting lineup totals 5-24 against the lanky righthander.

• 2B DJ LeMahieu ($4,500) is the only ‘must-draft’ Yankee at the moment. With the exception of 3B Gio Urshela ($4,600), almost every other hitter is in a funk.
• How bad is it? SS Gleyber Torres ($4,500): 5-42, .119 BA
• C Gary Sanchez ($4,300): 3-33, .091 BA
• OF Aaron Hicks ($4,200): 6-32, .188 BA
• 1B Luke Voit ($3,700): 8-37, .216 BA
• OF Brett Gardner ($3,600): 6-26, .231 BA

TAMPA HITTING NOTES : A very small sample size of Ray hitter experience against Cole as well.

• Ji-Man (The He-Man) Choi ($5,400) has enjoyed some success against Cole albeit over 5 ABs, with 3 hits, a home run and 4 RBI.
• 2B Brandon Lowe ($3,900) is leading the team in a number of offensive categories including ABs, runs, hits, slugging and OPS.
• 3B Joey Wendle ($3,100) leads the Rays in success against right-hander pitching (9-24, .375BA with 1 HR and 15 total bases.

INJURED LIST : Yankees on the IL include Aroldis Chapman and Luis Severino (elbow, out for the season), C Kyle Higashioka (right oblique strain, 10-day) and Tommy Kahnle (forearm, out for the season, Tommy John).

ROSTER MOVES : Yankees signed C Erik Kratz to a MLB contract and add him to active roster; recall IF Thairo Estrada.

Tampa Rays on the IL include CF Manuel Margot (Bereavement, out indefinitely), C Kevan Smith (COVID-19, 10-day from 08/01), P Yonny Chirinos (Triceps, 10-day from 08/03), P Colin Poche (elbow, out for the season, Tommy John), and P Jose Alvarado (paternity list, out indefinitely).

IMPORTANT : Check back after the official lineups have been announced (usually by 2pm EST), and definitely double-check your DraftKings MLB fantasy line at least 15-20 minutes prior to gametime (2:10pm EST/11:10pm PT) to make sure all of your picks are starting. Good luck, and Let’s Go Yankees!

FANTASY BASEBALL STRATEGY TIPS If you’re new to daily fantasy baseball or need a quick refresher course in putting an effective lineup together, don’t miss our “How to get your DraftKings MLB groove back in 2020” article. A short but sweet tutorial on proven strategies to help position you to win some dineros!