Rays Gameday: Shane Baz Looks to Continue Winning Ways Saturday vs. Yankees

Shane Baz is a perfect 2-0 so far at home, with 21 strikeouts and no walks for the Tampa Bay Rays. He starts again on Saturday vs. the New York Yankees. No Taylor Walls at shortstop, and Chandler Simpson gets his first start. Here are all the details.

Tampa Bay's Shane Baz (11) has 21 strikeouts and no walks in two home starts so far this season. He pitches again Saturday. | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

TAMPA, Fla. — Shane Baz has trotted out to the mound at Steinbrenner Field for two starts this season, and he's been spectacular. With the Rays mired in a four-game losing streak, Baz is hoping for another big outing Saturday when he takes on the New York Yankees.

They need him. Big time.

Baz is 2-0 this season, with wins coming against Pittsburgh and Boston. He pitched six innings in each start, shutting out the Pirates on April 1 and allowing just one run to the Red Sox on Monday in a 16-1 win. He had 10 strikeouts in his debut and 11 against the Sox — and didn't walk a batter in either outing.

"He's pitching with confidence and conviction,'' Rays manager Kevin Cash said when asked about what's impressed him about Baz's season so far. "We know he's got the big fastball, but all three of his other off-speed pitches are complimenting each other. When you see a four-pitch mix like that and they are all being commanded well, that's why you see the success. Hopefully that continues.''

How to watch Rays-Yankees

• Who: New York Yankees (13-7) vs. Tampa Bay Rays (8-12)
• When: Saturday, April 19 at 4:10 p.m. ET
• Where: Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Fla.
• TV: FanDuel Sports Sun
• Radio: WDAE 95.3 FM/620 AM, WQBN 106.7/1300 AM (Spanish)
• Betting information: The Rays are favored on the money line at Fanduel.com at minus-122, and the Yankees' money line odds are plus-104. On the run line, you can bet the Rays minus-1.5 at plus-162 odds, and the Yankees plus-1.5 at minus-196 odds. The over/under is 8.5 runs.
• Weather: At 4 p.m. in Tampa, the forecast is 88 degrees and sunny with winds out of the east at 13 miles per hour. The chance of rain is 0 percent

Yankees starting lineup

1. Ben Rice DH
2. Aaron Judge RF
3. Austin Wells C
4. Paul Goldschmidt 1B
5. Jazz Chisholm Jr. 2B
6. Anthony Volpe SS
7. Trent Grisham CF
8. Jasson Dominguez LF
9. Oswaldo Cabrera 3B

Rays starting lineup

1. Chandler Simpson CF
2. Yandy Diaz DH
3. Brandon Lowe 2B
4. Junior Caminero 3B
5. Jonathan Aranda 1B
6. Jake Mangum RF
7. Kameron Misner LF
8. Jose Caballero SS
9. Ben Rortvedt C

Lineup notes

• Chandler Simpson is making his major-league debut for the Rays, batting first and playing center field. He was hitting .305 at Triple-A Durham before gettinbg called up. ... Jose Caballero is starting at shortstop for the Rays. It's just the fourth game all year that Taylor Walls did not start at short. ... Paul Goldschmidt, batting fourth for the Yankees, had three hits on Friday and leads all of baseball with 10 multi-hit games. ... Yankees starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco has lost his last four outings vs. Tampa Bay. He hasn't beaten the Rays since Aug. 11, 2017 when he was pitching for Cleveland. ... Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe is 4-for-10

all-time vs. Carrasco, with a double, triple and two home runs.

Starting pitchers

• Carlos Carrasco, New York: Carrasco, a 38-year-old right-hander, is 2-1 with a 5.94 earned run average so far this season. He gave up at least three runs in his first three appearances, but pitched well on April 14 against Kansas City, allowing just one run and one hit in a 4-1 victory over the Royals.
• Shane Baz, Tampa Bay: Baz, a 25-year-old right-hander, is 2-0 with a 1.42 ERA. Both wins came at home against Pittsburgh and Boston, where he has combined for 21 strikeouts and no walks. Opponents are a combined 2-for-38 (.053) with 20 strikeouts in at-bats ending with his curveball (2-for-29/.069) or changeup (0-for-9/.000). It marks the lowest opponent average on any pitcher's curveball in the majors. He has thrown his curve 32.1 percent of the time this season compared to 20.5 percent in 2024.

Related Rays stories

• SIMPSON GETS FIRST MLB START: Chandler Simpson, considered the fastest man in baseball, is making his major-league debut on Saturday, when he bats leadoff and starts in center field for the Tampa Bay Rays when they take on the New York Yankees. It's a much-anticipated debut all across baseball. CLICK HERE

• RAYS LOSE 1-0 TO YANKEES: For the second time in three days, the Tampa Bay Rays lost a baseball game 1-0. This time it was to the New York Yankees on Friday night, where the Rays mustered just three hits in their fourth straight loss. CLICK HERE

• LANDLORDS vs. TENANTS: It was always going to seem weird watching the Tampa Bay Rays play outdoors during the 2025 season, but it's especially odd seeing them play the New York Yankees in THEIR home at Steinbrenner Field. We all need to be grateful this was an option. Here is Tom Brew's column. CLICK HERE

• PALACIOS SHINES IN RETURN: Tampa Bay outfielder Richie Palacios returned from a broken finger Thursday and promptly had three hits and a stolen base, a first in a Rays season debut. But the Rays couldn't hit with the bases loaded and lost 6-3 to the New York Yankees. CLICK HERE

• MORGAN REACHES AAA: Tre' Morgan, the No. 4 prospect in the Rays' farm system, joined the Durham Bulls on Tuesday after missing the first few weeks of the 2025 regular season with a quad injury. CLICK HERE

• SMITH CRACKS TOP 100: With Yankees outfielder Jasson Domínguez officially graduating to the big leagues, Rays outfielder Aidan Smith took his spot on MLB Pipeline's list of the top 100 prospects. CLICK HERE