The Tampa Bay Rays will be squaring off against their divisional rival Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. New England Sports Network will be airing the matchup and the game is scheduled to get going at 1:05 p.m. ET.
Tampa Bay Rays vs. Boston Red Sox Odds
The Rays are just 1-7 SU and have gone 5-2 against the spread (ATS). They’ve lost 4.5 units for moneyline gamblers this year, despite having gained 2.5 units ATS. The Red Sox are 7-1 SU and 2-5 ATS. The team has gained 4.3 units for moneyline bettors while gaining 3.1 units ATS.
Red Sox games have had an over/under record of 2-5 so far in 2018. The Rays have an over/under record of 3-4.
The Rays have lost 1.4 units and are 3-1 ATS when facing a lefty starter this season. The over has hit in two of those games, compared to two that’ve gone under against right-handed starting pitchers. On the other hand, the Red Sox have netted 3.4 units and are 2-4 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher. The over has hit in two of those games, compared to four that’ve gone under.
Right-hander Andrew Kittredge (0-2, 3.18 ERA) will get the start for Tampa Bay. Kittredge struck out 14 hitters across 15 innings last year with six walks but finished the season 0-1 overall with a 1.76 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP.
The BoSox are rolling with lefty Eduardo Rodriguez as their starter. Rodriguez struck out 150 hitters in 137 innings last year (24 starts), while finishing the season 6-7 overall with a 4.19 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP.
Boston’s pitching staff has given up 2.4 runs per game overall this year as a unit. The team’s starting pitching staff has an ERA of 1.28, a WHIP of 0.93 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 8.4. The bullpen has a 3.77 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 10.4 K/9. In six games against divisional opponents, Red Sox starters have an ERA of 1.17 and the bullpen’s ERA is 4.58.
The Boston hitters have put up 4.3 runs per outing, including 5.2 per game over their last five. The team has a slash-line of .255/.338/.406 over its last five matchups and is 5-0 SU during that stretch.
The Red Sox offense has been led by shortstop Xander Bogaerts and outfielder Mookie Betts. Bogaerts is slashing .371/.405/.743 with 13 hits, nine RBIs and seven runs scored, while the line for Betts stands at .345/.457/.517 with 10 hits, one RBI and six runs scored.
In the other dugout, Tampa Bay’s pitching staff allowed 5.1 runs per game and its starting pitchers own a 6.09 ERA, 1.53 WHIP and 7.41 K/9. The bullpen has managed an ERA of 3.86, along with a WHIP of 1.53.
Rays hitters have slashed .188/.256/.264 on their way to 2.5 runs scored per game in 2018, including over the team’s last five contests (0-5 SU).
Second baseman Daniel Robertson and outfielder Denard Span have led Tampa Bay’s offense. Robertson is slashing .250/.538/.375 with two hits and zero RBIs, while Span (.273/.346/.409) is up to six hits, seven RBIs and two runs scored.
Compared to his total season slash line of .272/.329/.427, Span taken a step back when hitting lefty pitching on the road in 2017, maintaining a slash line of only .274/.286/.355 across 63 such plate appearances.
Tampa Bay Rays at Boston Red Sox MLB Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Red Sox, ATS Winner – Rays, O/U – OVER
Notes
Betting Trends
The Rays went 8-11 SU against the Red Sox last season.
The Red Sox’ bullpen recorded an ERA of 3.07 against the Rays last year.
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