The Boston Red Sox will head south to play their divisional foe Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. The matchup will get underway at 7:10 p.m. ET and New England Sports Network will showcase the game.
Boston Red Sox vs. Tampa Bay Rays Odds
Tampa Bay (+190) is coming into this one as the underdog to Boston (-210) and Vegas has set the Over/Under for this game at 7.5 runs (-125 for the under and +105 for the over). You can also wager on the game’s runline with the odds standing at Red Sox -1.5 runs (-145) and Rays +1.5 runs (+125).
The Red Sox have gone 32-15 SU this year and are 24-23 against the spread (ATS). They’ve accumulated 9.4 units for moneyline gamblers over the early portions of the year and 0.4 units ATS. Boston has covered the spread four times in its last seven games and the total has gone under in three of those seven. The Rays, on the other hand, are 22-23 SU and 23-22 ATS. The team has lost 0.4 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 0.1 units ATS. Tampa Bay has covered the spread four times in its last seven games and the total has gone under in four of those seven.
Tampa Bay games have an over/under record of 23-20-2 so far in 2018. Boston has an over/under record of 22-23-2.
Chris Sale will get the start for the visiting Red Sox. The left-handed Sale is 4-1 with a 2.29 ERA and 87 strikeouts. He’s 0-0 with nine strikeouts and a 0.00 ERA against Tampa Bay this year (six starts).
The Rays are handing the ball to righty Jake Faria (3-2, 5.20 ERA), who has 35 strikeouts and 21 walks, as well as a WHIP of 1.31. Faria is 0-1 with two strikeouts and a 14.29 ERA in one start against Boston this year.
Tampa Bay’s pitchers have given up 4.6 runs per game overall this season as a unit. The team’s starting pitching staff has an ERA of 4.27, a WHIP of 1.23 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 8.2. The bullpen has a 4.55 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 8.4 K/9. In 21 divisional games, Rays starters have an ERA of 5.77 and the bullpen’s ERA is 5.12.
The Tampa Bay hitters have put up 4.4 runs per outing, including 4.4 per game against divisional foes and 5.4 per game over their last five. The team has hit .280/.351/.462 over its last five matchups and is 4-1 SU during that span.
The Rays’ hitters have been led by second baseman Daniel Robertson and first baseman C.J. Cron. Robertson is slashing .273/.424/.473 with five home runs, 15 RBIs and 21 runs scored, and Cron’s line is .278/.332/.506 with 11 homers, 27 RBIs and 27 runs scored.
For the visitors, Boston’s pitching staff allowed 3.8 runs per game and its starting pitchers own a 3.65 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 9.85 K/9. The bullpen has an ERA of 3.51, along with a WHIP of 1.19 and a K/9 of 9.91.
Red Sox hitters have slashed .270/.333/.465 on their way to 5.4 runs scored per game in 2018, including 5.2 runs per game against divisional foes and 5.4 per game over the team’s last five outings (4-1 SU).
Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez have led Boston’s offense. Betts is slashing .365/.438/.760 with 15 home runs, 32 RBIs, 48 runs and 11 steals, while Martinez is hitting .343/.397/.680 with 15 homers, 41 RBIs and 31 runs scored.
Compared to his overall season slash line of .303/.376/.690, Martinez did not perform especially well against right-handed pitching on the road last year, maintaining a slash line of only .255/.299/.588 across 177 such plate appearances.
The Red Sox have gained 11.3 units and are 21-16 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher this season. The over has cashed in 18 of those games, compared to 17 that’ve gone under against righties. On the other hand, the Rays have netted 4.2 units and are 11-5 ATS when facing a left-handed starting pitcher. The over has hit in seven of those games, as opposed to eight which went under the total.
Boston Red Sox at Tampa Bay Rays Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Red Sox, ATS Winner – Red Sox, O/U – OVER
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Notes
Betting Notes
The Red Sox have won four of their last five games SU.
Boston has recorded 23.8 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 contests and 25.4 over its last five.
The Red Sox have hit 17 home runs in their last 10 games, including 11 over their last five.
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