Matt Andriese (2-2, 3.79 ERA) and Wade Miley (7-6, 4.50 ERA) take the hill in the second of a three-game series between the Tampa Bay Rays (41-34) and the Boston Red Sox (33-42) at Tropicana Field. The Red Sox won the last game 4-3 and Boston leads the series 1-0. Action begins at 4:10 p.m. ET on Saturday, Jun. 27 and can be seen on NESN and SunSports.
Andriese pitched 5.1 innings in his last outing, surrendering four runs and striking out two in an 8-5 defeat to the Blue Jays. Logan Forsythe (.298, 29 Rs, 8 HRs, 32 RBIs, 7 SBs) continued his strong play yesterday, going 3 for 5 with one run. When pitching against the Rays, Miley is 3-0 with a 0.47 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and 16 strikeouts. Hanley Ramirez (.283, 41 Rs, 15 HRs, 38 RBIs, 3 SBs) has been successful at the plate for the Red Sox, going 2 for 2 yesterday.
Tampa Bay is a narrow -107 favorite at home against Boston. The Over/Under (O/U) is sitting at seven runs for this matchup. The Rays have an overall money line of +799 and a record as the favorite of 20-16. Within its division, Tampa Bay has an 8-8 record as favorite and a 19-16 record SU. Tampa Bay is one of the best in the MLB in terms of steals, swiping 55 bases. Crossing over to the pitching staff, opposing offenses have been stifled by the Rays, who have a team ERA of only 3.27. The Rays are the fourth-best team in the league at limiting hits and walks to their opponents, recording a WHIP of 1.20 so far this season.
In games where it is the underdog, Boston has a 11-14 record and an overall money line of -1,796. They have played poorly as the underdog with a 4-8 record against fellow AL East members, and a 5-5 record SU. Offensively, the Red Sox have really picked up the pace in the last 10 games. They have exceeded their season average of 4.1 runs per game by averaging 5.7 during that stretch. Boston is excellent at drawing walks with 3.4 per road game, ranking second in the AL. The Red Sox allow 4.7 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 5.7 against division foes.
The Rays lead the season series, 4-3. The Rays have a great 14-8 record against left-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Miley takes the mound. Andriese (RHP) will be on the hill against the Red Sox, who have a 24-31 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – TB, O/U – Over
Notes
The Red Sox won their last game by a one-run margin. In games decided by one run, the Rays are 11-14. The Red Sox are 10-10 in close games this season.
The Red Sox are 3-2 in games that go into extra innings. Meanwhile, the Rays are 2-4 in such matchups.
The Red Sox are coming into this game after allowing two walks during their last outing. The Rays have a 16-19 record when opponents give up that many walks or fewer.
When they outhit their opponents, the Rays are 28-8. The Red Sox have a 27-5 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 25th in runs, Tampa Bay has earned 276 this season. Boston ranks 14th with 308 runs.
Ranking 18th, Tampa Bay is in the bottom half of the league in walks, notching 206 this season. Boston ranks in the top five at fifth with 238.
The Rays are 29-17 in games where they hit one or more home runs. The Red Sox are 24-24 when they hit at least one homer.
