The rainout on Saturday might have come at a perfect time for a Yankees team that has looked mentally defeated the last three days. They’ve scored just a trio of runs across their last 30 innings. The pitching has held up their end of the bargain, limiting Toronto and Tampa Bay to a combined eight runs over that same span. The Yankees must win this afternoon, or they will fall 6.5 games back of first before it is even Memorial Day.
Ryan Weathers actually pitched well last time out against the Blue
Jays, Ernie Clement hitting an improbable three-run home run off a perfect changeup below the zone. It reflects the improvements he has made in his debut season in pinstripes, Weathers placing in the top-10 among starters in strikeout rate and K-BB%. In nine starts, Weathers is 2-2 with a 3.58 ERA (116 ERA+), 3.51 FIP, and 61 strikeouts in 50.1 innings.
The Yankees will not be thrilled to see Drew Rasmussen on the mound for the Rays after he held them to one hit in six shutout innings on April 12th. He’s been a Yankee killer his whole career, posting a 1.03 ERA, 2.04 FIP, .426 OPS allowed, and 51:9 strikeout to walk ratio in eight starts totaling 43.2 innings. In nine starts in 2026, Rasmussen is 4-1 with a 3.19 ERA (1331 ERA+), 3.74 FIP, and 45 strikeouts in 48 innings.
New York rolls out the exact same lineup as the one that got defeated, 4-2, in the series opener. Austin Wells hit his first home run since April 28th. Trent Grisham had three hits including a pair of doubles. José Caballero added a pair of singles in his first game back off the IL after suffering a fractured finger (though he did have a costly error during the Rays’ eighth-inning rally) while Cody Bellinger and Jazz Chisholm Jr. also had multi-hit nights.
The Rays meanwhile make a pair of changes to their lineup from Saturday. Ryan Vilade replaces the injured Jonny DeLuca in right field while Carson Williams subs in for Richie Palacios at second base. They also shake up the order a bit, Yandy Díaz and Jonathan Aranda moving up to leadoff and second, which drops Chandler Simpson to fifth and Junior Caminero to third.
How to watch
Location: Yankee Stadium – Bronx, NY
First pitch: 1:35 pm ET
TV broadcast: YES, Rays.TV
Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280 (NYY) | WDAE 95.7 FM, WQBN/1300AM (TB)
Streaming: Gotham Sports App, MLB.tv (out-of-market only)
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