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There is one thing that the sports betting world knows for sure; the New York Yankees are dangerous enough when they are just focusing on winning. Now that they have the emotional inspiration of the death of George Steinbrenner, the Yankees may start to run away with the AL East and the AL in general.

As people start thinking about betting on NFL games, the Yankees have turned the corner of the All-Star break and have the home stretch in their sights. They start their quest for the pennant against the Tampa Bay Rays in the new Yankee Stadium. There could not be a worse scenario for the Rays. But, it actually does get worse.

If you bet on NCAA football then you understand how powerful an emotional motivation can be. When you team up that motivation with a strong organization, you get trouble for the rest of the league. The Yankees are two games up on the Rays in the AL East, and they are running away with the best record in the baseball. This second half push could put them way ahead of the pack and increase their odds on winning the World Series.

For this game the Yankess put CC Sabathia on the mound. Sabathia has a 12-3 record that includes a nine game winning streak, and he has a 3.09 ERA. Sabathia has not lost a game since late May, and his 12 wins for the season makes him one of the top pitchers in the game.

The Rays will put James Shields on the mound with his 7-9 record and 4.87 ERA. Shields offers even more incentive to the Yankees as he has only one win in his last nine starts. He has given up 19 home runs this season, which is welcome news to the Yankees as they are one of the best home run hitting teams in baseball.

The pre-season MLB betting gave the Tampa Bay Rays a chance at being a contender. The odds on the Rays started at +1500, but they bolted up to +700 when the Rays took over the AL East and showed a lot of promise.

The Yankees started the season as the odds-on favorite to win the World Series at +300, and nothing has changed that since the April. The Yankees are still +300 to win the World Series, and they are now given that unwritten edge that all good teams know how to use.

The Rays are only two games out of first place, and a team that is trying to chase the best team in baseball should make some alterations to their starting rotation at this point in the season. It may be Shields’ turn in the rotation, but it is a huge mistake for the Rays to put Shields on the mound against CC Sabathia in a game that the Rays desperately need. That alone will be enough of a mistake to put this game out of reach early for the Rays, and this series could be the start of the slide that puts the Rays out of contention for the AL East pennant.

Pick: New York Yankees 4-1
Read Bases Loaded: The Inside Story of the Steroid Era in Baseball by the Central Figure in the Mitchell Report by clicking here.

Click here for the New York Yankees: Essential Games Of Yankee Stadium DVD.

Click here for the New York Yankees Baseball Dynasty – History Of The New York Yankees DVD.