The Tampa Bay Rays will head north to play their divisional rival Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. New England Sports Network will be televising the action and the game is scheduled to get underway at 7:10 p.m. ET.
Tampa Bay Rays vs. Boston Red Sox Odds
Vegas has listed Boston (-170) as the favorite over Tampa Bay (+160). Bettors can wager on the game’s total with odds sitting at -110 for over 9.5 runs and -110 for under 9.5. Bettors can also wager on the game’s runline with the current odds standing at Rays +1.5 runs (-135) and Red Sox -1.5 runs (+115).
The Rays are 62-59 SU and have gone 65-55 against the spread (ATS). They’ve accumulated 6.1 units for moneyline bettors and 11.9 units ATS. The Red Sox, on the other hand, are 86-36 SU and 74-48 ATS. They’ve gained 33.7 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 26.5 units ATS.
Boston games have an over/under record of 56-61-5 in 2018. Rays games have gone under 66 times, gone over 51 times and pushed on three occasions.
Ryne Stanek is getting the start for the visiting Rays. The right-handed Stanek (1-3, 2.42 ERA) has racked up 62 strikeouts in 48.1 innings so far. He’s 0-0 with a 0.00 ERA against Boston this year.
The Red Sox are putting the ball in the hands of lefty Brian Johnson (3-3, 3.95 ERA), who has 70 strikeouts and 25 walks, as well as a 1.38 WHIP. Johnson is 0-0 with five strikeouts and a 13.50 ERA against Tampa Bay this year.
Boston’s pitching staff has given up 3.7 runs per game overall this season as a unit. The club’s starters have a 3.55 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 9.6 strikeouts per nine innings. The bullpen has a 3.39 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 9.7 K/9. In 58 divisional games, Red Sox starters have an ERA of 3.67 and the bullpen’s ERA is 3.94.
Boston’s offense is putting up 5.5 runs per contest, including 5.7 per game against divisional foes and 4.2 per game over its last five. The team’s hit .246/.323/.449 over its last five contests and is 4-1 SU during that span.
J.D. Martinez and Mookie Betts have paced the Red Sox offense this year. Martinez is hitting .333/.402/.663 with 37 home runs, 104 RBIs and 88 runs scored, and the line for Betts stands at .352/.440/.668 with 27 homers, 64 RBIs, 99 runs and 24 stolen bases.
In the visiting dugout, Tampa Bay’s pitching staff allowed 4.0 runs per game and its starters own a 3.73 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 9.26 K/9. The bullpen has logged an ERA of 3.81, along with a WHIP of 1.19 and a K-per-9 of 8.27.
Rays hitters have slashed .253/.328/.393 on their way to 4.2 runs scored per game in 2018, including 3.9 runs per game against divisional foes and 2.8 per game over the team’s last five outings (3-2 SU).
Third baseman Matt Duffy and left fielder Mallex Smith have led Tampa Bay’s offense. Duffy is hitting .297/.354/.376 with four home runs, 32 RBIs and 42 runs scored. Smith (.299/.372/.425) is up to two homers, 29 RBIs, 48 runs and 26 stolen bases.
The Rays have gained 8.3 units and are 22-13 ATS when facing a left-handed starting pitcher this year. The over has hit in 11 of those games, compared to 23 that’ve gone under against lefties. On the other hand, the Red Sox have netted 33.1 units and are 59-34 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher. The over has hit in 42 of those games, as opposed to 47 which went under the total.
Tampa Bay Rays vs. Boston Red Sox Free Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Red Sox, ATS Winner – Rays, O/U – OVER
