Yankees-Rays Doubleheader Opens Final Week at Yankee Stadium

Carlos Rodón and Nick Martinez start the opener of a twin bill as New York tries to keep faint AL East hopes alive.

The New York Yankees begin the final week of the regular season with a doubleheader against the Tampa Bay Rays at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. First pitch for the opener is set for 1:05 pm ET. The game is a makeup of a May 23 rainout.

The Yankees dropped two of three to the Diamondbacks and now need a sweep of this four-game set simply to avoid elimination from the AL East race. Even that would require an unlikely Rays collapse in their final series for New York to stay in division contention.

Carlos Rodón starts for the Yankees, taking the mound with his postseason rotation spot uncertain. Cam Schlittler and Max Fried appear locked in as starters, which could leave Rodón competing with Gerrit Cole for a final spot if the team goes with a three-man rotation. Rodón is 6-3 with a 2.95 ERA and 83 strikeouts in 76.1 innings across 15 starts this season.

Nick Martinez gets the ball for Tampa Bay. In his first year with the Rays, the veteran right-hander is 15-4 with a 2.94 ERA over 29 starts and owns the lowest walk rate among qualified starters at 3.5 percent.

Aaron Judge remains on the injured list, so the Yankees are expected to lean on outfielders Heliot Ramos and Spencer Jones, both of whom homered off Corbin Burnes in the previous game. The Rays counter with Junior Caminero, third in MLB with 41 home runs, and stolen base leader Chandler Simpson, who has 46 steals and a .309 average.