Chris Archer (2-1, 1.37 ERA) and Wade Miley (0-1, 10.57 ERA) take the hill in the first of a three-game series between the Tampa Bay Rays (6-7) and the Boston Red Sox (8-5) at Tropicana Field. Action begins at 7:10 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Apr. 21 and can be seen on NESN and SunSports.
Archer is 1-4 with a 6.03 ERA in his appearances against the Red Sox, but goes up against a below-average Boston offense which is batting just .239 this season. Steven Souza Jr. (.289, 5 Rs, 3 HRs, 10 RBIs, 4 SBs) had a good game Sunday, going 3 for 5 with one run, one home run, and three RBIs. Miley is 2-0 with a 0.68 ERA when pitching against the Rays. He is up against a below-average Tampa Bay offense which is hitting just .226 this season.
Tampa Bay is a -126 favorite against Boston and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at seven runs. The Rays have recorded an overall money line of -56 and have shown a weak performance as a favorite this season with a record of 1-3. Tampa Bay has gone winless in its last 10 as the favorite. The Rays have seen a decline in scoring against teams inside their division, averaging 3.2 runs per game. They average 3.9 runs per game on the season. Tampa Bay leads the MLB in steals, swiping 13 bases.
In the other locker room, Boston is coming in with an overall money line of +73 and an impressive record of 3-1 as the dog. They are 2-1 as the underdog against fellow AL East members, and 3-3 SU. Offensively, they average 5.2 runs per game, which is good for fifth in the AL. Boston is excellent at drawing walks with an AL-best 4.6 per game. The Red Sox allow 5.3 runs per game, but does worse whenever another team from the AL East Division is on the schedule. They bring that runs allowed average up to 6.2 against division foes. The Red Sox have established a reputation of overwhelming hitters with an AL-best 8.8 strikeouts per game, making them one of the top five teams in the league.
Archer (RHP) will be on the hill against the Red Sox, who have a 6-4 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – TB, O/U – Over
Notes
When leading after 7 innings, Boston is 3-2, while Tampa Bay is 1-4.
The Rays managed to give up six walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Red Sox who are coming in with a 5-0 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
When outhit, the Rays and the Red Sox both have records of 1-5.
Tied at ninth for total home runs, Tampa Bay and Boston have each hit 13 homers this season.
Ranking 10th, Tampa Bay is in the top 10 of the league in hits, notching 7.46 per game. Boston ranks in the top five at fifth with 8.83.
Tampa Bay and Boston both rank in the top half of the league for their on-base plus slugging percentage. Tampa Bay sits at 12th with an OPS of .700 and Boston ranks 14th with an OPS of .692.
The Red Sox are 4-5 in games where they allow one or more home runs. The Rays are 1-5 when they allow at least one homer.
