Boston Red Sox vs Tampa Bay Rays Preview
There does appear to be a chance of rain in Boston on Thursday, as the forecasted temperature is 56 degrees. Cooper Criswell is slated to start for the Red Sox, and they are 22-21, putting them 3rd in the AL East. The Rays are 4th in the division at 22-22.
The money line odds have the Red Sox at -108 compared to the Rays at -109. Today’s over/under line is 8.5 runs, and this AL East matchup can be seen on BSSUN.
Check out BetCoco for Boston Red Sox – Tampa Bay Rays odds
Boston Red Sox Trends and Key Stats
- Across their last five road games, the Rays are 2-3. This includes going 3-2 vs. the runline.
- On the opposing side, the Red Sox have a 1-4 (SU) record, along with a 1-4 record in their last five home contests.
- In their previous ten games, Rays have won 5-5 as favorites and 5-5 as underdogs.
- The Red Sox are 6-4 (favorite) and 3-7 (underdog).
Tampa Bay picked up a 4-3 road win over the Red Sox in the most recent game of this series. The Rays had a three-run 6th inning and scored the game’s go-ahead run in the 7th. As for the Red Sox, they scored their final run in the 4th. Heading into the game, the Rays were at +114 on the money line.
Jose Siri had a two-hit game for the Rays while Yandy Diaz scored twice and drove in two runs while going 1/4. Rafael Devers hit the game’s only home run while going 1/4 with three RBIs.
Taj Bradley pitched well for the Rays in this one, going five innings and striking out six without giving up a run. He picked up a win in the game, while Kevin Kelly got the save. Tanner Houck had a good outing for the Red Sox, giving up just one earned run in 5 2/3 innings of work.
Boston Red Sox vs Tampa Bay Rays Prediction
Tampa Bay is at an even 22-22 overall as they play on the road vs. the Red Sox today. The Rays trail the Yankees by seven games for the AL East lead and are 4th in the division. So far, they are 6-7 in divisional games.
At home, the Rays have gone 14-12 this year and are just under .500 at 8-10 on the road. So far, they have really struggled as the favorite, going 14-15. As for their record as the underdog, the Rays are 8-7 this year. Tampa Bay’s overall series record is 5-6-2, and they are winning their current series vs. the Red Sox.
The Rays have been a tough team to predict on the run line this season, as they are 19-25 overall. They have been a better bet on the road, where they are 9-9 on the run line, including a current streak of three straight wins. They have been a better bet as the underdog, going 10-5 on the run line in those games.
The Tampa Bay Rays have had a combined run average of 8.9 runs per game this season, and their over/under record is 23-20. When the over/under line is set at 8.5 runs, they have gone over 7 times and under 10 times. Overall, 47.7% of their games have had over/under lines set below 8.5 runs.
Zack Littell gets the start for the Rays today as he faces the Red Sox on the road. He has made eight starts this year and has a record of 2-2 with a 3.02 ERA. Littell’s WHIP for the season is 1.28, and opponents are batting .279 off the right-hander this year. In his last outing, Littell picked up the win, going 5 2/3 innings and giving up two earned runs on four hits. He has made three quality starts this year. Littell’s ERA at home is 3.39, compared to 2.29 on the road.
So far this season, the Rays offense has been averaging 4.1 runs per game, which is 19th in the league. They have been a little better at home, averaging 4.3 runs per game. As a team, they are batting .242, which is 12th in the league, and have the 9th best on-base percentage in the league. Tampa Bay’s offense has been led by Isaac Paredes, who is batting .302 this season and has gone deep a team-high eight times.
Randy Arozarena and Isaac Paredes are both on good streaks right now, with Arozarena having homered in two straight games and Paredes on a four-game hitting streak. Over his last seven games, Arozarena is batting just .179, but he does have two homers in that stretch. Yandy Diaz has also gone deep twice in his last seven games while batting .379.
The Red Sox are 22-21 overall and trail the Yankees by 6.5 games in the AL East. So far, they have struggled against other AL East teams, going 1-5 in the division. Boston is 10-12 at home compared to 12-9 on the road.
As the underdog, the Red Sox have dropped two straight, and they are 10-13 as the underdog overall. Boston has been slightly better as the favorite, going 12-8 this year. Heading into game four vs. the Rays, the Red Sox trail in the series 1-2. Their overall series record is 7-5-1, and they are 4-6 in their last 10 games.
When the Red Sox are favored, they are a poor bet against the run line, going just 6-14. However, when they are the underdog, they are a strong bet at 14-9. They have a run line losing streak of two games when favored, and their average run margin in wins is +4.4 runs per game.
Today’s over/under line for the Red Sox game against the Rays is set at 8.5 runs. The Red Sox have played 39 games this season, and their average combined run total is 7.8 runs per game. Their over/under record for the season is 14-25, and when the line has been set at 8.5 runs, their record is 7-8. The Red Sox have played nine games this season with an over/under line set at 8.5 runs, and the over has hit in seven of those games. Overall, 19 of their games have had lower over/under lines than 8.5 runs, and the under has hit in 44.2% of their games.
Through five starts, Cooper Criswell has a record of 2-1 and an ERA of 2.10 for the Red Sox. He has made six appearances this season and has a WHIP of 1.01. Criswell most recently faced the Nationals on May 11th, where he finished with a no-decision. In that outing, he went five innings, giving up two earned runs, and he gave up one homer in the game. Before that outing, he had won two straight starts. Criswell has been solid at home, with an ERA of 2.99 compared to 1.04 on the road.
So far this season, the Red Sox offense is averaging 4.3 runs per game, which is 16th in the league. They have been a better offensive team on the road, averaging 4.5 runs per game. As a team, the Red Sox are batting .242, which is 12th in the league, and are 8th in the league in both on-base percentage and slugging.
Heading into today’s game, Ceddanne Rafaela is the team’s leader in RBIs (23) but is batting just .207 for the season. His 23 RBIs is the 5th best mark in the league. Rafael Devers comes into the game on a five-game hitting streak and has gone 8/32 in his last eight games. Over this stretch, he has one home run and three RBIs.
Our prediction for today’s Rays vs. Red Sox game is to take the Rays on the money line, with the payout currently sitting at -109. We have the Rays winning this one by a score of 5-4.
Looking at today’s starting pitchers, we have Cooper Criswell finishing with six strikeouts compared to Zack Littell with five. However, Criswell is projected to go just five innings, while Littell is projected to go six.
Boston Red Sox vs Tampa Bay Rays Betting Tips
- We like the Rays on the moneyline (-109)
- The Rays are also our pick on the spread at -1.5
- Projecting a combined 9 runs, we like the over
Boston Red Sox Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Liam Hendriks | Out | Elbow |
| Trevor Story | Out | Shoulder |
| Tyler Heineman | Out | Hamstring |
| Lucas Giolito | Out | Elbow |
| Bryan Mata | Out | Hamstring |
| Triston Casas | Out | Ribs |
| Garrett Whitlock | Out | Oblique |
| Isaiah Campbell | Out | Shoulder |
| Chris Murphy | Out | Elbow |
| Masataka Yoshida | Out | Thumb |
Tampa Bay Rays Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Chris Devenski | Out | Knee |
| Brandon Lowe | Out | Oblique |
| Wander Franco | Out | Personal |
| Shane Baz | Out | Elbow/Oblique |
| Drew Rasmussen | Out | Arm |
| Taylor Walls | Out | Hip |
| Jeffrey Springs | Out | Elbow |
| Colin Poche | Out | Back |
| Shane McClanahan | Out | Elbow |
| Jacob Waguespack | Out | Shoulder |
| Ryan Pepiot | Out | Lower Leg |
