New York Yankees vs. Tampa Bay Rays Game Preview: Pepiot vs. Stroman (July 31, 2025)

Thursday, July 31st, 2025

Tampa Bay Rays (54-55, fourth in the AL East) vs. New York Yankees (59-49, second in the AL East)

New York; Thursday, 2025-07-31, 1:05 p.m. EDT

Game Preview

The New York Yankees host the Tampa Bay Rays with a 2-1 series lead.

Pitching Probables

Rays: Ryan Pepiot (6-8, 3.42 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 124 strikeouts)

Yankees: Marcus Stroman (2-2, 6.09 ERA, 1.59 WHIP, 23 strikeouts)

Betting Odds

Yankees -127, Rays +106; over/under is 8 1/2 runs

Team Insights

New York Yankees

New York has a 33-22 record in home games and a 59-49 record overall. The Yankees have gone 26-14 in games when they did not allow a home run.

Tampa Bay Rays

Tampa Bay is 54-55 overall and 23-27 on the road. Rays hitters are batting a collective .254, which ranks third in the AL.

Season Series

The teams meet Thursday for the 11th time this season. The Yankees lead the season series 6-4.

Top Performers

New York Yankees Standouts

Paul Goldschmidt has 23 doubles, a triple, eight home runs and 38 RBI while hitting .282 for the Yankees. Giancarlo Stanton is 12 for 38 with a double and three home runs over the past 10 games.

Tampa Bay Rays Standouts

Yandy Diaz has 19 doubles, a triple, 18 home runs and 62 RBI for the Rays. Junior Caminero is 9 for 39 with two home runs and six RBI over the last 10 games.

Last 10 Games Performance

Yankees Recent Form

Yankees: 5-5, .216 batting average, 4.50 ERA, outscored by 14 runs

Rays Recent Form

Rays: 2-8, .218 batting average, 5.07 ERA, outscored by 19 runs

Injury Report

New York Yankees Injuries

Clarke Schmidt: 60-Day IL (forearm), Aaron Judge: 10-Day IL (flexor strain), Mark Leiter Jr.: 15-Day IL (fubular), Fernando Cruz: 15-Day IL (oblique), Ryan Yarbrough: 15-Day IL (oblique), Oswaldo Cabrera: 60-Day IL (ankle), Jake Cousins: 60-Day IL (elbow), Gerrit Cole: 60-Day IL (elbow), Luis Gil: 60-Day IL (back)

Tampa Bay Rays Injuries

Ha-Seong Kim: 10-Day IL (back), Stuart Fairchild: 10-Day IL (oblique), Manuel Rodriguez: 60-Day IL (forearm), Hunter Bigge: 60-Day IL (lat), Richie Palacios: 60-Day IL (knee), Shane McClanahan: 60-Day IL (tricep), Alex Faedo: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Nathan Lavender: 60-Day IL (elbow)

In summary

The New York Yankees (59-49, second in AL East) will host the Tampa Bay Rays (54-55, fourth in AL East) on Thursday, July 31, 2025, at 1:05 p.m. EDT. The Yankees currently lead the season series 6-4 and hold a 2-1 advantage in the current series matchup. Marcus Stroman is projected to start for New York against Ryan Pepiot for Tampa Bay. The Yankees are favored at -127 on the moneyline, with an over/under set at 8 1/2 runs. Key performers for the Yankees include Paul Goldschmidt and Giancarlo Stanton, while Yandy Diaz and Junior Caminero are top players for the Rays. Both teams have shown recent struggles, with the Rays posting a 2-8 record over their last 10 games. A significant number of players are on the injured list for both clubs.

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