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For starters: Rays return to the Bronx as Edwin Encarnacion makes Yankees debut

Yankees starter Masahiro Tanaka has dominated Rays this season.
Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Yonny Chirinos (72) delivers from the mound during first inning action against the Oakland Athletics at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg on Wednesday, June 12, 2019. (DIRK SHADD | Times)
Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Yonny Chirinos (72) delivers from the mound during first inning action against the Oakland Athletics at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg on Wednesday, June 12, 2019. (DIRK SHADD | Times)
By Eduardo A. Encina
Published Jun. 17, 2019
Updated Jun. 17, 2019

NEW YORK — The Rays open their three-game series at Yankee Stadium tonight, hoping the weather cooperates and allows the teams to get in all three games.

Rain is expected all three days. The tarp was on the field at Yankee Stadium earlier Monday, but the showers have subsided enough for both teams to have batting practice on the field.

This will be Edwin Encarnacion’s first game with the Yankees. He is batting fifth as the Yankees’ starting DH.

Encarnacion, who hit a league-leading 21 homers with the Mariners, is no stranger to the AL East after playing in Toronto for so many years.

He has 18 career homers at Yankee Stadium, Encarnacion's most in any opposing ballpark, and is hitting .263/.330/.510 in 69 games at Yankee Stadium. But he's hitting just .209/.305/.422 in 130 career games against the Rays.

Yankees starter Masahiro Tanaka has a 0.69 ERA in two starts against the Rays this season, allowing just one earned run over 13 innings with 13 strikeouts and no walks.

Here are tonight's starting lineups

RAYS

Austin Meadows DH

Tommy Pham LF

Brandon Lowe 2B

Avisail Garcia RF

Ji-Man Choi 1B

Kevin Kiermaier CF

Willy Adames SS

Joey Wendle 3B

Mike Zunino C

Yonny Chirinos RHP

YANKEES

DJ LeMahieu 3B

Luke Voit 1B

Aaron Hicks CF

Gary Sanchez C

Edwin Encarnacion DH

Didi Gregorius SS

Gleyber Torres 2B

Cameron Maybin RF

Brett Gardner LF

Masahiro Tanaka RHP

Contact Eduardo A. Encina at eencina@tampabay.com. Follow @EddieInTheYard.

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