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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. It's the budget conscious Tampa Bay Rays and not the high-dollar New York Yankees that have won the past two American League East division titles.The Yankees have the early edge so far this year as the two teams finally finally get together in 2022 for a four-game series at Tropicana Field, starting on Thursday night. The Yankees, who have the best record in baseball at 31-13, are 4.5 games ahead of the second-place Rays (26-17).If it seems like this May 26 start date for the first of their 19 games together this season is late, that's because it is. It's the longest wait to start the season since 2001, when they first played in Game 72.It should be worth the wait, though, between two of the best teams in the American League."It's going to be a fun and challenging four days against these guys. They've played really well, and their record will stand up for that,'' said Rays center fielder Kevin Kiermaier, who's been doing battle with the Yankees for nine years now. "You Aaron Altherr Jersey find out a lot about your team when you need to rise to the occasion at the most cruicial time, and we're trying to make up some ground with them in the division."We've got our work cut out for us Dave Cash Jersey , but it should be an entertaining four days.''The rotations are set for the series for both teams. Here's are the matchups:Thursday night (6:40 p.m. ET) New York left-hander Nestor Cortes (3-1, 1.80 ERA) vs. Tampa Bay left-hander Ryan Yarbrough (0-0, 4.20 ERA)Friday night (7:10 p.m. ET) New York right-hander Jameson Taillon (4-1, 2.95 ERA) vs. Tampa Bay left-handerJeffrey Springs (2-1, 1.32 ERA)Saturday afternoon (4:10 p.m. ET) New York right-hander Gerrit Cole (4-1, 3.31 ERA) vs. Tampa Bay right-hander Corey Kluber (1-2, 4.42 ERA) Sunday afternoon(1:10 p.m. ET) New York right-hander Luis Severino (3-0, 3.02 ERA) vs. Tampa Bay left-hander Shane McClanahan (4-2, 2.06 ERA)The Yankees have gotten good pitching all season, pitching to a 3.00 earned run average, second-best in the AL behind the Houston Astros (2.81). The Rays are third at 3.30. Cortes might be the best of the bunch so far, with his low 1.80 earned run average.Scroll to ContinueThe Rays' hitters know he's going to be a challenge come Thursday night in the series opener."He's got a really good carry on his fastball and he throws from different angles. He's funky and unorthodox, but it works for him. He's not going to overpower you, but his 92-93 fastball looks like 95-96 and he's got a lot of great secondary pitches.Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash is looking forward to the battle with the Yankees, but he also acknowledges that it's not a be-all, end-all series. It is, after all, still just May, and he doesn't look at it as any kind of litmus test for his team."They're a very good team, and obviously we've seen them a lot in the last decade. We certainly appreciate the competition,'' Cash said. "We just look to play good baseball for the next four days. There's a lot to like (with what the Rays have done so far), but it's not (a litmus Aaron Nola Jersey test) for me. We're in a very tough, challenging division where you have to play good baseball for a long time. We've got to get closer to August/September baseball to see where we're at.''The crowds should be good all weekend. Saturday's game is already sold out and a few others are close. The Rays have already played 10 home games in front of crowds smaller than 10,000 fans, so crowds in the high 20s will be nice."It's going to be a packed house with a lot of energy these next few days, and this is what we get up for and play in the big leagues for,'' Kiermaier said. "I'm anxious to see how we respond to a great test. It's going to be a lot of fun.''The Rays are 8-4 so far against American League opponents, and are Cesar Hernandez Jersey 7-2 at Tropicana Field. Here's what they've done so far.Baltimore Orioles: 4-2 overall, 3-0 at Tropicana Field.Boston Red Sox: 2-1 overall, 2-1 at Tropicana Field.Toronto Blue Jays: 2-1 overall, 2-1 at Tropicana Field.The Rays and Yankees will see a lot of each other in the next three weeks. They will play three games in New York June 14-16 and three more in St. Petersburg from June 20-22. They have a series in New York in mid-August and have home-and home series in September as well.Related stories on Rays baseball1-2 PUNCH WITH McCLANAHAN, RASMUSSEN: The argument can be made that Tampa Bay starters Shane McClanahan and Drew Rasmu sen are the best one-two punch in the American League, and they've been really good the past month or so. Their numbers are exceptional, and here's our comparison of the best pair of pitchers in the league. KITTREDGE BACK ISSUES: Tampa Bay closer Andrew Kittredge is dealing with tightne s in his lower back, and it's been bad enough to force him to the 15-day injured list. He's eligible to return on June 3, and he's planning to be ready to go again on that day. He talked about the injury on Tuesday night. KIERMAIER'S HOMER: Here's the video of Kevin Kiermaier's inside-the-park home run, and his full postgame pre s conference. RAYS 2022 SCHEDULE: Jorge Alfaro Jersey Here is the complete 2022 schedule for the Tampa Bay Rays, with results and stats from every game far, and dates, locations and gametimes for the rest of the season.