Tampa Bay Rays vs New York Yankees Game 2 Picks and Prediction for Tuesday September 22 2026

The Tampa Bay Rays visit the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York, on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, for Game 2 of their doubleheader. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM ET with coverage on MLB.TV and TBS. Tampa Bay enters at 95-60 overall and 40-34 on the road, while New York is 89-66 overall and 42-32 at home. The Rays sit atop the American League East with a six-game advantage over the Yankees and have won two straight entering the doubleheader, while New York has dropped two in a row. Tampa Bay also holds a 6-3 advantage in the season series. At the time of this writing the odds were not released. Be sure to check out our free MLB picks for more MLB predictions throughout the season.

Starting Pitchers

Tampa Bay is scheduled to start Drew Rasmussen, who enters at 15-5 with a 2.72 ERA and outstanding 0.93 WHIP through 165.1 innings. He has allowed 124 hits and 14 home runs while recording 163 strikeouts against only 29 walks. New York counters with Max Fried, who is 5-4 with a 2.63 ERA and 0.98 WHIP through 106 innings. He has surrendered only 73 hits and four home runs while striking out 100 and walking 31. There is very little separating these starters statistically. Fried owns the slightly lower ERA, while Rasmussen has the better WHIP, considerably more innings and a stronger strikeout-to-walk ratio. Both have been extremely difficult to hit, creating the foundation for a potentially low-scoring second game.

Rays Bring the Better Recent Form to New York

Tampa Bay enters the doubleheader with the best record in the American League East at 95-60 and has been excellent recently. The Rays are 4-1 over their last five completed games, beating the Athletics 4-3 and 10-1 before taking two of three from Boston. Tampa Bay scored 23 runs while allowing only 10 during those five games. The Rays have also already demonstrated that they match up well with New York, holding a 6-3 season-series advantage entering Tuesday.

The Rays are batting .259 with 707 runs, 1,345 hits and 164 home runs. They own a .328 on-base percentage and .404 slugging percentage. Tampa Bay has been even more impressive from the mound, carrying a 3.70 ERA and excellent 1.13 WHIP while holding opposing hitters to a .229 batting average. The pitching staff has recorded 1,261 strikeouts while issuing only 385 walks.

Tampa Bay's most significant advantage is its ability to combine efficient offense with strong pitching. The Rays have a substantial edge over New York in batting average and on-base percentage while also owning the better team WHIP. Their recent run prevention has been especially impressive, with opponents averaging only two runs per game across the last five. The primary concern is that Tampa Bay will be playing its second game of the day, which can make bullpen usage and roster management more complicated, but the same issue applies to New York.

Yankees Look to Reverse Their Recent Slide

New York enters at 89-66 overall and 42-32 at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees are still comfortably above .500, but they have gone just 2-3 across their last five completed games. New York beat Minnesota 8-1 before losing a 13-inning game 5-4, then went 1-2 against Arizona. The Yankees scored 28 runs over those five contests but allowed 21, with their most recent two games ending in consecutive losses.

The Yankees are batting .235 with 713 runs, 1,206 hits and 216 home runs. Their .311 on-base percentage trails Tampa Bay, although their .410 slugging percentage is slightly better. New York's biggest season-long strength has been power, with 52 more home runs than Tampa Bay. The pitching staff has been excellent as well, posting a 3.22 ERA and 1.17 WHIP while holding opponents to a .223 batting average. New York pitchers have collected 1,390 strikeouts against 466 walks.

New York's path to victory is likely to come through pitching and power. The Yankees have produced considerably more home runs than Tampa Bay, but the Rays have been better at consistently reaching base and generating hits. New York also faces a difficult matchup against a starter who has issued just 29 walks across 165.1 innings. If the Yankees cannot create damage with extra-base hits, sustaining rallies could be challenging against a Tampa Bay staff that has limited traffic throughout the season.

Tampa Bay Rays vs New York Yankees Picks and Prediction

Pick: Tampa Bay Rays Moneyline

This is another extremely competitive matchup, but Tampa Bay has enough advantages to justify backing the Rays. They enter with the better overall record, the better recent form and a 6-3 advantage in the season series. Tampa Bay's scheduled starter has a 2.72 ERA and 0.93 WHIP over 165.1 innings, giving the Rays a proven option capable of working deep into the game. New York has the better team ERA and home-field advantage, but Tampa Bay's superior batting average, on-base percentage, team WHIP and recent performance make the Rays the preferred moneyline side.

Pick: Under 8 or Higher

Game 2 features an outstanding starting-pitching matchup. Tampa Bay's scheduled starter owns a 2.72 ERA and 0.93 WHIP, while New York's carries a 2.63 ERA and 0.98 WHIP. Both teams also have strong season-long pitching numbers, with New York posting a 3.22 ERA and Tampa Bay a 1.13 team WHIP. There is always some uncertainty in the second game of a doubleheader because bullpen usage depends partly on what happens earlier in the day, but the quality of these two starters creates a strong foundation for the under. If the total is posted at 8 or higher, the under is the preferred play.

Final Picks: Tampa Bay Rays Moneyline and Under 8 or Higher

This preview was completed on Monday, September 21, 2026. Starting pitchers, betting lines and other game information are subject to change before the game begins.