Blake Snell (4-5, 3.06 ERA) and David Price (11-8, 4.19 ERA) start in the first of a four-game series between the Tampa Bay Rays (52-70) and the Boston Red Sox (69-54) at Tropicana Field. Action begins at 7:10 p.m. ET on Monday, Aug. 22 and can be seen on NESN and SUN.
Snell pitched 5.0 innings in his last outing, surrendering one run, striking out eight and walking four in a 15-1 win over the Padres. Brad Miller (.266, 59 Rs, 25 HRs, 60 RBIs, 6 SBs) went 1 for 3 yesterday with one run. Price went 6.0 innings, surrendering one run and striking out four in an 8-1 win over the Orioles in his most recent start. David Ortiz (.319, 60 Rs, 29 HRs, 97 RBIs, 2 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday.
Boston takes on Tampa Bay as a -155 favorite. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is sitting at seven runs. The Rays have recorded an overall money line of -2,450 and have shown a weak performance as an underdog this season with a record of 20-34. Tampa Bay has recorded a disappointing 1-4 record as the underdog over its last 10 games. The Rays have seen an uptick in scoring as of late, averaging 6.2 runs during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 4.2 runs per game. The Rays are one of the best in the MLB in terms of home runs with 165.
In games where it is the favorite, Boston has a 52-37 record and an overall money line of -151. They have managed to pull off a perfect record over their last ten games playing as the favorite, and have an 8-2 SU record over the same span. Offensively, they average 5.5 runs per game, which the best in the AL. The Red Sox are tough outs for opponents, leading the AL with 10.0 hits per game. Shifting to the pitching staff and defense, the Red Sox allow just four runs per road game, ranking them third in the AL. When it comes to preventing batters from getting hits, the Red Sox are fifth in the AL with an average of 8.5 hits allowed per game. The Red Sox have established a reputation of overwhelming hitters with an AL-best 8.0 strikeouts per road game, making them one of the top five teams in the league.
The Red Sox lead the season series, 5-4. The Rays have a 14-17 record against left-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Price takes the mound. Snell (LHP) will be on the hill against the Red Sox, who have a 15-14 record against left-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – BOS, O/U – Over
Notes
Tampa Bay has won 41% (22-32) of its games when leading after seven innings. However, Boston has won 58% (34-25) of its games when taking a late lead.
The Red Sox managed to give up six walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Rays who are heading in with a 10-3 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
When they outhit their opponents, the Rays are 35-10. The Red Sox have a 61-15 record when outhitting opponents.
Boston tops the league in runs with 675 this season. Tampa Bay ranks near the bottom at 22nd with 516.
Ranking 16th, Tampa Bay is in the bottom half of the league in walks, notching 363 this season. Boston ranks in the top 10 at eighth with 411.
The Rays are 45-43 in games where they hit one or more home runs. The Red Sox are 57-37 when they hit at least one homer.
