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New York Yankees vs Tampa Bay Rays: April 2nd-April 5th Series Preview

By Kenneth Teape

Sep 20, 2016; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; New York Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez (24) is congratulated by center fielder Mason Williams (66) and designated hitter Billy Butler (36) after he hit a 3-run home run during the seventh inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 20, 2016; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; New York Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez (24) is congratulated by center fielder Mason Williams (66) and designated hitter Billy Butler (36) after he hit a 3-run home run during the seventh inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /
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New York Yankees vs Tampa Bay Rays Series Preview: April 2nd-April 5th

New York Yankees vs Tampa Bay Rays: April 2nd-April 5th Series Preview
Sep 20, 2016; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; New York Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez (24) is congratulated by center fielder Mason Williams (66) and designated hitter Billy Butler (36) after he hit a 3-run home run during the seventh inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

The New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays will begin their 2017 regular season this afternoon. The AL East rivals will kick things off at 1 PM ET at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. Opening Day always brings excitement, and this year is no different.

The Yankees come into the season without many expectations. The rebuild has been going well, as they are stockpiled with a bunch of young players oozing with potential. There may not be World Series expectations in 2017, but the Yankees will be worth watching as the young guns get a chance to play.

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The Rays come into the season after a disappointing 2016. Tampa Bay saw a drop off last season, going 68-94 last year after going 80-82 in Kevin Cash’s first season as manager. Part of the reason for the drop off was the ineffectiveness of their starting pitching and injuries. The Rays will also be on a tight budget so they cannot afford their main contributors to struggle or else it will be difficult to get on track.

Here are the pitching matchups for the first series of the season:

Game 1: Masahiro Tanaka (0-0, — ERA) vs Chris Archer (0-0, — ERA)
Game 2: C.C. Sabathia (0-0, — ERA) vs Jake Odorizzi (0-0, — ERA)
Game 3: Michael Pineda (0-0, — ERA) vs Alex Cobb (0-0, — ERA)

Opening Day is always enjoyable as there are so many great pitching matchups with all of the aces taking the mound. What else should we tune in to see? Check out our series preview with some things to watch in the first series of the season between the Yankees and Rays.

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