In the first of a three-game series between the Tampa Bay Rays (41-33) and the Boston Red Sox (41-33) at Tropicana Field, Alex Colome (3-3, 4.50 ERA) and Rick Porcello (4-8, 5.61 ERA) take the mound. The game gets underway at 7:10 p.m. ET on Friday, Jun. 26 and will air on NESN and SunSports.
In his most recent outing, Colome pitched 7.0 innings, giving up zero runs, striking out four and walking two in a 1-0 loss to the Indians. Logan Forsythe (.292, 28 Rs, 8 HRs, 32 RBIs, 7 SBs) went 1 for 4 Wednesday. In his career against the Rays, Porcello is 4-3 with a 2.80 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, and 36 strikeouts. Hanley Ramirez (.283, 41 Rs, 15 HRs, 38 RBIs, 3 SBs) has been hitting the ball well for the Red Sox, going 2 for 2 yesterday.
Tampa Bay, a -133 favorite, will look to capitalize at home against Boston. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is set at seven runs. When playing as the favorite, the Rays have a 20-16 record and overall money line at +799. They have a 19-16 record SU and are 8-8 as favorite within their division. The Rays are a nightmare for opponents on the bases with 55 steals, one of the highest totals in baseball. Transitioning to the pitching staff, the Rays lead the AL in ERA with a 3.27 team average. The Rays don’t allow many hitters to get on base, ranking fourth in the league with a 1.20 WHIP.
On the other side, the Red Sox have a record of 11-14 when they are the underdog and are -1,665 overall with the money line. Against divisional foes, they are 11-22 SU and have played poorly as the underdog with a 4-8 record. Boston has been playing better lately, averaging 5.6 runs per game, more than their season average of 4.1. Boston has an eye for the strike zone on the road, ranking 3.4 in the AL with second walks per game. Boston’s pitching staff tends to perform poorly when they play division rivals. They’ve allowed an average of 5.6 runs per game against teams from the AL East, higher than their season average of 4.7.
The Rays have mostly come out on top against the Red Sox in their previous six games this season, earning a 4-2 record. This game will feature Porcello (RHP) on the mound against the Rays, who have a 27-25 record when they take on a right-handed starter. The right-handed Colome will take the mound against the Red Sox, who have a 24-30 record against righty starters this season.
Predictions: SU Winner – TB, O/U – Over
Notes
For the ninth time this season, the Red Sox registered at least two errors in a game.
When the Red Sox play into extra innings, they have a 2-2 record. The Rays are 2-3 when their games exceed nine innings.
The Red Sox are coming into this game after allowing two walks during their last outing. The Rays have a 16-18 record when opponents give up that many walks or fewer.
When they outhit their opponents, the Rays are 27-7. The Red Sox have a 27-5 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 25th, Tampa Bay is near the bottom of the league in runs, scoring 273 this season. Boston ranks in the top half at 12th with 304.
Ranking 18th, Tampa Bay is in the bottom half of the league in walks, notching 204 this season. Boston ranks in the top 10 at sixth with 233.
When the Rays hit at least one home run, they are 29-17. When the Red Sox hit at least one homer, they have a 24-24 record.
