Chris Archer (9-4, 2.01 ERA) is on the hill for the Tampa Bay Rays (42-34) as they square off against Justin Masterson (2-2, 6.37 ERA) and the Boston Red Sox (33-43) in the last of a three-game series at Tropicana Field. The Rays won the last game 4-1 and the series is currently tied 1-1. Action begins at 1:10 p.m. ET on Sunday, Jun. 28 and can be seen on NESN and SunSports.
Archer is 1-5 with a 5.17 ERA, 1.77 WHIP, and 47 strikeouts against the Red Sox. Logan Forsythe (.299, 29 Rs, 8 HRs, 32 RBIs, 7 SBs) went 1 for 3 yesterday. When pitching against the Rays, Masterson is 2-8 with a 6.93 ERA, 1.90 WHIP, and 50 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 -162 favorite against Boston and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at seven runs. The Rays have an overall money line of +687 and a record as the favorite of 20-17. Within its division, Tampa Bay has an 8-9 record as favorite and a 19-17 record SU. Tampa Bay is one of the best in the MLB in terms of steals, swiping 57 bases. As for the pitchers, 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 1.19 so far this season.
In games where it is the underdog, Boston has a 12-14 record and an overall money line of -1,694. They have played poorly as the underdog with a 5-8 record against AL East foes, and a 6-4 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 5.9 during that stretch. Boston is excellent at drawing walks with 3.2 per game, ranking fourth 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 5.6 against division foes.
The Rays lead the season series, 5-3. The Rays have a 27-26 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Masterson takes the mound. Archer (RHP) will be on the hill against the Red Sox, who have a 25-31 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – TB, O/U – Over
Notes
Boston has won 44% (15-19) of its games when leading after 7 innings. However, Tampa Bay has won 55% (16-13) of its games when taking a late lead.
The Rays are coming into this game after allowing zero walks during their last outing. The Red Sox have a 1-5 record when opponents give up that many walks.
When they are outhit, the Red Sox are 6-36. The Rays have a 7-22 record when opponents outhit them.
Tampa Bay and Boston both rank in the top half of the league in home runs. Tampa Bay sits at 14th with 70 home runs this season and Boston ranks 12th with 71.
Ranking 11th, Tampa Bay is in the top half of the league in hits, notching 8.21 per game. Boston ranks in the top 10 at sixth with 8.81.
Tampa Bay and Boston both rank in the bottom half of the league for their on-base plus slugging percentage. Tampa Bay sits at 19th with an OPS of .698 and Boston ranks 16th with an OPS of .714.
When the Red Sox allow at least one home run, they are 12-34. When the Rays allow one or more homers, they have a 17-24 record.
