The Boston Red Sox (23-24) travel to face off against the Tampa Bay Rays (25-23) on Monday, May 20th. This game will be played at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg and televised on BSSUN. The Red Sox are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Rays are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Blue Jays. First pitch is set for 6:50 ET.
Red Sox vs Rays
The Red Sox’s offense was hot right out of the gates in their most recent game vs. the Cardinals, closing out their series with an 11-3 win. After allowing one run to the Cardinals in the bottom of the first, the Red Sox responded with a run of their own and added another three runs in the 2nd inning. Boston went on to add another five runs in the 4th inning.
Starting for the Red Sox was Nick Pivetta, who picked up the win while tossing six innings of one-run ball. He also finished with eight K’s and issued just one walk. The Red Sox’s offense was carried by Tyler O’Neill, who went 2/3 with a homer and three RBIs.
Boston is 23-24 overall this season, and they are 9.5 games behind the Yankees for the AL East lead. So far, they have really struggled against other AL East teams, going 1-6. The Red Sox are on the road today, and they are 13-11 as the road team this year.
As the favorite, the Red Sox have gone 13-9 this year and 10-15 as the underdog. Boston’s series record is 7-7-1 this year, and they have dropped two straight series. In the Red Sox’ most recent series, they lost 2-1 to the Cardinals.
When betting the run line, the Red Sox have been a better bet on the road than at home, going 14-10. They have an average run margin of +1.5 runs per game on the road, compared to -0.4 at home. Boston has been the favorite in 22 games, going 7-15 on the run line, while they have been the underdog in 25 games, going 14-11 on the run line.
The Red Sox have been involved in high-scoring games lately, with the over hitting in four straight games. Their games have averaged 8.2 runs per game this season, and their over/under record is 18-25 overall. When the over/under line is set at 7.5 runs, they are 5-8 on the season. The Red Sox have had over/under lines set at 7.5 runs in 13 of their 34 games this season, which is 72.3% of their games.
Tanner Houck Gets The Start For The Red Sox
Right-hander Tanner Houck gets the start for the Red Sox today as he faces the Rays on the road. Houck’s overall record this season is 3-5, and he has an ERA of 2.17. In his nine starts, Houck has pitched one complete game shutout and has seven quality starts. Per nine innings, he is averaging 8.84 strikeouts and just 1.71 walks. Houck has been much better on the road, coming in with a record of 2-2 and an ERA of 1.88. At home, his ERA is 2.63, and he has a record of 1-3.
Red Sox Offense Breakdown
Heading into today’s game, the Red Sox are averaging 4.4 runs per game, which is 15th in the league. They have been a little better on the road, averaging 4.8 runs per game. As a team, they are batting .245, which is 8th in the league, and have the 8th most home runs in the league. One thing to keep an eye on is their strikeout numbers, as they are 26th in the league in this category.
Rafael Devers has been swinging a hot bat of late, going 9/33 with five homers over his last eight games. This has helped him move into 2nd on the team with 21 RBIs and 3rd in the league in homers. Devers is also 4th in the league in homers. Ceddanne Rafaela has been a disappointment so far, hitting just .192, but he does lead the team with 23 RBIs.
Heading into their last game vs. the Blue Jays, the Rays closed out the series with a 5-2 loss. Tampa Bay was the slight favorite at -103 on the money line. Things started off well for the Rays, as they got on the board with a run in the 2nd inning but gave up the lead right away as the Blue Jays scored in the bottom of the 2nd.
Aaron Civale had a rough outing, giving up four earned runs on six hits and issuing four walks. The Rays also wasted a big game from Isaac Paredes, who homered in the 2nd inning, going 1/3.
Tampa Bay is 25-23 overall and trails the Yankees by eight games in the AL East. Currently, they are 3rd in the division and are 8.0 games behind the Orioles for the 2nd spot in the AL East. The Rays will host the Red Sox today, and they are 9-8 in divisional games this year.
The Rays have won two straight series, taking two of three from the Blue Jays in their most recent series. At home, the Rays are 14-12 compared to 11-11 on the road. So far, they have been an even 15-15 as the favorite and 10-8 as the underdog overall. Tampa Bay’s series record is 7-6-2 this year.
When betting on the run line in Tampa Bay Rays games this season, it’s been more profitable to take the underdog. The Rays are 12-6 against the run line as the underdog, compared to 10-20 as the favorite. Their overall run line record is 22-26, with an average run margin of -0.6 runs per game.
The Rays have had a combined run average of 8.9 runs per game this season, and their games have gone over the over/under line in 25 of their 47 games. Their games have had an average over/under line of 8 runs per game, and when the line has been set at 7.5 runs, the over has gone 7-3 in those 10 games. Their games have had an over/under line of 7.5 runs in 37 of their 48 games this season.
Taj Bradley Gets The Start For The Rays
Getting the start for the Rays today is Taj Bradley. He’s coming off a win in his last outing, where he went 5 innings and gave up 2 earned runs. In his first start of the season, he took a loss against the Yankees, but had a strong outing, going 6 innings and striking out 7.
Rays Offense Breakdown
Isaac Paredes has been a big bright spot for the Rays this season, as he is batting .309 and has gone deep nine times, which is 6th best in the league. Paredes’ 26 RBIs are also 13th in the MLB. However, the Rays are hoping that Randy Arozarena can get things going, as he is batting just .158 this season.
Yandy Diaz has been swinging a hot bat for the Rays of late, going 10/33 in his last eight games. During this stretch, he has one home run and five RBIs. Amed Rosario is currently on a four-game hitting streak, while Richie Palacios has hit safely in his last three games.
Red Sox vs Rays Prediction
Our prediction for today’s Red Sox vs. Rays matchup is to take the Rays on the money line at -110. We have the Rays winning this one by a score of 6-5. As for the Red Sox starter, Tanner Houck, we have him finishing with six strikeouts, which is the fifth-best among today’s starters.
Looking at the offenses, the Red Sox are projected to finish with nine hits compared to the Rays, who we have finishing with nine as a team. However, the Red Sox are projected to finish with more strikeouts than the Rays.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.
Last updated:May 20, 2024 Rays, Red Sox