New York Yankees vs. Tampa Bay Rays: CC Sabathia vs. Ryne Stanek

Monday’s game against the Rays almost went according to plan: James Paxton pitched well, the Yankees hit three home runs, and went into the ninth with a lead. After Travis d’Arnaud hit his third home run of the game and Aroldis Chapman blew the save, though, the Rays won 5-4 and closed the gap in the AL East to just five games.

The Yankees will turn to CC Sabathia, to get things back on track tonight. CC has long excelled as a “stopper” after a crushing loss, and tonight’s a perfect night for him to do his thing. It’ll be the fifth time Sabathia has faced the Rays this year; he’s 1-0 with a 2.63 ERA over his four previous tries against Tampa.

Meanwhile, the Rays will use the “opener” strategy again tonight. Ryne Stanek will get the ball first for Tampa Bay, before giving way to Jalen Beeks or the bullpen. Stanek has been effective as an opener this year (the Rays are 17-9 in games he’s started) but he’s 0-1 with a 6.16 ERA in 18 games against the Yankees, including seven turns as the opener. Beeks, who will likely follow Stanek, is 10-1 with a 4.02 ERA over his first 33 MLB games.

Lineups:

How to watch:

Location: Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY

First pitch: 7:05 p.m. EDT

TV broadcast: YES

Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM

Online Stream: FuboTV, MLB.TV

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