Yankees at Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays send unbeaten right-hander Tyler Glasnow to the mound as the top two teams in the American League East meet for the first time this season Friday night when the New York Yankees visit for the first of three games. Glasnow is tied for the major league lead with six victories during a dominant start with the Rays and will face the Yankees for the first time since being acquired from Pittsburgh at the trade deadline last year.
"My mentality (is) just going into it like any other day and just keep playing your game,” Glasnow told mlb.com. “It doesn’t really matter who you’re playing. If you meet all your personal checkmarks and do what you need to do to prepare, usually you’re winning ballgames.” Tampa Bay, which is 7-6 against AL East foes, has won nine of the last 14 games despite a 3-2 loss in 13 innings against Arizona on Wednesday and could get Austin Meadows (.351 batting average, six homers, 19 RBIs in 20 games) back in the lineup Friday after the outfielder missed almost three weeks with a thumb injury. The Yankees are just 1 1/2 games behind the first-place Rays despite being ravaged by injuries during the first six weeks of the season and knocked off Seattle 3-1 on Thursday to win their sixth series in the last seven chances. Domingo German, who has matched Glasnow with six victories, is expected to take the mound in the series opener and New York's offense is being led by DJ LeMahieu of late as the infielder owns an 11-game hitting streak in which he is 20-for-41 with nine RBIs.
TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, MLB Network, YES (New York), FS Sun (New York)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Yankees RH Domingo German (6-1, 2.35 ERA) vs. Rays RH Tyler Glasnow (6-0, 1.47)
German has strung together three straight wins after limiting Minnesota to one run on four hits and three walks over 6 2/3 innings Sunday. The 26-year-old Dominican Republic native, who has 39 strikeouts across 38 1/3 innings, has four quality starts in six chances at the role this season. Brandon Lowe (12-game hit streak overall) is 1-for-1 versus German, who was 1-0 despite a 7.36 ERA in three appearances (two starts) against Tampa Bay last year.
Glasnow followed up winning American League Pitcher of the Month for March and April by limiting Baltimore to three hits over seven scoreless innings with eight strikeouts last Friday. The 25-year-old Californian has yet to give up more than two runs in his seven starts and boasts 46 strikeouts to go along with seven walks across 43 innings. Glasnow gave up three runs (one earned) over 4 2/3 frames to the Yankees in their only meeting in 2017 while with Pittsburgh.
WALK-OFFS
1. Tampa Bay 1B Nate Lowe (9-for-35) was optioned to Triple-A Durham after Wednesday's game to make room for the potential return of Meadows to the roster.
2. New York INF Gleyber Torres has hit safely in 13 of his last 14 games and is batting .339 during that stretch with seven RBIs.
3. Rays C Mike Zunino (three homers, 17 RBIs in 26 games) left Wednesday's game with a quad injury and his status for the weekend series in uncertain.