Rays Edge Yankees 4-3 in ALDS Game 3: Fried's Effort Not Enough

The Tampa Bay Rays beat the New York Yankees 4-3 in ALDS Game 3 on Wednesday night in the Bronx, pushing New York to the brink of elimination. The Yankees, whose season was on the line, got a workmanlike outing from ace Max Fried but couldn't overcome timely Rays hitting and their own offensive struggles.

Premium Pick Result

Our premium pick on the Yankees moneyline was a loss. We expected Fried to dominate and the Yankees to finally support him, but Tampa Bay scored four earned runs off Fried over 5.2 innings. The Rays' bullpen held the lead, and New York's comeback fell short.

Prop Plays

• Ben Rice over 1.5 total bases (+109): Loss. Rice managed just one total base (a single) in four at-bats, striking out twice. The plus-money value didn't materialize.
• Max Fried over 15.5 outs (+144): Win. Fried recorded 17 outs (5.2 IP), clearing the 15.5 mark. He struck out seven and walked none, but allowed four runs on seven hits, including two homers.
• Max Fried over 4.5 strikeouts (-103): Win. Fried punched out seven Rays, easily surpassing the 4.5 line.

Takeaway

Even elite pitchers can falter in elimination games, and relying on a single ace to carry a struggling team is risky. The Yankees' defensive issues from Game 2 didn't repeat, but their offense couldn't solve Nick Martinez and the Rays' pen. For future picks, we'll continue to target strikeout and outs props for high-K starters, but we'll be more cautious about moneyline picks when a team's season is on the line and their offense has been inconsistent. The Rays, meanwhile, look like a dangerous opponent.