(WestGateEvents.com)

Tampa Bay Rays (35-49) @ New York Yankees (41-39)

Probables:
Monday at 7:00 ET on ESPN: Chris Archer (4-5) vs. David Phelps (3-4)
Tuesday at 7:05 ET: David Price (6-7) vs. Hiroki Kuroda (5-5)
Wednesday at 1:05 ET: Jake Odorizzi (3-7) vs. Vidal Nuno (2-4)

The Yankees are coming into this series having lost two of three against the Red Sox while the Rays are coming to New York after taking three of four from the Orioles. Chris Archer is starting Game 1 tonight for the Rays to cap off a stellar month of June. While he is 1-3 during this month, he has a sub-2.00 ERA. He also is looking to become the first pitcher since Walter Johnson to win his first five starts against the Yankees. Many people think David Price’s start tomorrow could be his last as a Ray and the Yankees are a rumored suitor. Whether or not he goes in the next week, Price will likely be gone by the Trade Deadline. Ten game out of first place is a tough hole to climb out of and the Rays could use the trade to rebuild for the future. Don’t expect the Rays to pull the trigger on a trade too soon though, as they’ll want to get as much as they can for their ace. The Yankees, on the other hand, are only two games out of first place despite losing four of their last ten games. These are the final three games at Yankee Stadium before the All Star Break. Derek Jeter is coming in with a five-game hit streak, batting .389 over that span. Starting pitching will be the key for both teams in this series. In five of the first seven game between these two teams, the winning team has scored at least nine runs; the Rays won four of those seven games.