The Boston Red Sox (25-24) travel to face off against the Tampa Bay Rays (25-25) on Wednesday, May 22nd. This game will be played at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg and televised on NESN. 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 Red Sox. First pitch is set for 6:50 ET.
Red Sox vs Rays
Boston picked up a 5-2 road win over the Rays in the most recent game of this series. The Red Sox offense got off to a fast start, scoring two runs in the first and adding three more in the 2nd. On the other side, the Rays got on the board with two runs in the 7th.
Cooper Criswell only went 5 1/3 innings for the Red Sox but gave up just two hits and two earned runs. He finished the game with six strikeouts but issued one walk. Greg Weissert got the win out of the bullpen, and Kenley Jansen got the save.
Reese McGuire and Jarren Duran each homered for the Red Sox, while Isaac Paredes went 3/4 with two RBIs for the Rays.
Boston is on a three-game winning streak, and they are looking to pick up another win today on the road vs. the Rays. Currently, the Red Sox are 7.5 games behind the Yankees for the AL East lead. So far, they have gone just 3-6 in AL East matchups.
This season, the Red Sox have an overall record of 25-24, and they are 15-11 on the road compared to 10-13 at home. As the road underdog, the Red Sox are 9-10 this year, and they have won three straight road games overall. Boston’s series record is 7-7-1, and they have lost two straight series.
When the Red Sox are on the road, they have a run line record of 16-10, and they have covered the run line in each of their last three games. Overall, they have a run line record of 23-26, with an average run margin of 0.7 runs per game. As the underdog, they have a run line record of 16-11, while as the favorite, they are just 7-15.
Today’s game between the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays has an over/under line of 7.5 runs, which is lower than the Red Sox’s average combined run average of 8.1 runs per game. Boston has an over/under record of 18-27 this season, and their games have had an average line of 8 runs. When the line has been set at 7.5 runs, the Red Sox have gone 5-8 to the over. The over has hit in 71.4% of Boston’s games this season, but the under has hit in their last two games.
Brayan Bello Gets The Start For The Red Sox
Right-hander Brayan Bello gets the start for the Red Sox today as he faces the Rays on the road. Bello has made seven starts this year and has a record of 4-2 with a 3.96 ERA. Looking at his overall numbers, Bello has a WHIP of 1.13 and has allowed a total of eight home runs. One of his eight home runs came in his most recent outing, where he took the loss, giving up five earned runs in 4 2/3 innings of work. Before that outing, he had won three straight starts.
Red Sox Offense Breakdown
Heading into today’s game, the Red Sox offense is averaging 4.4 runs per game, which is 14th in the league. They have been a better offensive team on the road this season, averaging 4.8 runs per contest. As a team, the Red Sox are batting .244, which is 11th in the MLB, and are 9th in home runs. Boston has been one of the league’s best teams at avoiding strikeouts this season.
Rafael Devers has been swinging a hot bat of late, going 11/40 over his last 10 games with six homers and nine RBIs. For the season, he is batting .285 with 10 homers and 23 RBIs. Ceddanne Rafaela is the team’s current home run leader with five, but he is batting just .196 this season.
Tampa Bay is 25-25 overall, and they are eight games behind the Yankees for the AL East lead. Currently, they are 4th in the AL East, just a half-game behind the Red Sox for 3rd place. The Rays have dropped three straight games, and they lost the first two games of this series vs. the Red Sox.
At home, the Rays are 14-14 this year and have gone 11-11 on the road. As the favorite, the Rays are 15-17 this year and 10-8 when they are the underdog. So far, they have an overall series record of 7-6-2, and they have won two straight series on the road.
When the Rays win, they win big, with an average run margin of 2.4 runs. But when they lose, they lose big, with an average run margin of -3.9 runs. They have a run line record of 22-28 on the season, with a 10-18 mark at home. They are 12-10 vs. the run line on the road and have lost three straight vs. the run line at home. They are 10-22 vs. the run line as the favorite and 12-6 as the underdog.
The Tampa Bay Rays are playing at home against the Boston Red Sox today, and the over/under line for the game is set at 7.5 runs. The combined run average for Rays games this season is 8.7 runs per game, and their over/under record is 25-24. The average over/under line for their games is 8 runs, and when the line is set at 7.5 runs, their record is 7-3. Overall, 76% of their games this season have had higher over/under lines than 7.5 runs, and they are currently on a three-game under streak.
Ryan Pepiot Gets The Start For The Rays
Ryan Pepiot gets the start for the Rays today and comes into the game with a record of 3-2 and ERA of 3.68. So far, he has made seven starts and four of them have been quality starts. Pepiot’s WHIP for the season is currently .93. In his last outing, he finished with a no-decision, going just two innings and giving up three earned runs on three hits. Before that, he had not allowed more than one earned run in four straight starts. The right-hander has been much better on the road, coming in with an ERA of 0.0 compared to 6.65 at home.
Rays Offense Breakdown
Isaac Paredes has been a bright spot in the Rays lineup so far this season, as he is batting .314 with a team-high nine home runs and 28 RBIs. Paredes has also been swinging a hot bat of late, going 11/29 in his last eight games. Randy Arozarena is 2nd on the team with eight homers but is batting just .160 for the season.
Overall, the Rays offense is averaging 4 runs per game, which is 21st in the league. They have been a bit better at home, averaging 4.1 runs per contest. As a team, the Rays are batting .239, which is 12th in the league, and are 19th in home runs. Collectively, they are 20th in slugging percentage and 23rd in OPS.
Red Sox vs Rays Prediction
With the Rays at -125 on the money line, this is the best way to play this one. We have them winning by a score of 6-4. If you’re looking for some other ways to play this one, the over/under is sitting at 7.5 runs, and we like the over.
Looking at the starting pitchers, Ryan Pepiot is projected to finish with six strikeouts, and he has the seventh-best chances of picking up a win among starters today. As for Brayan Bello, he is projected to finish with six strikeouts, and he has the eighth-best chances of picking up a win.
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 22, 2024 Rays, Red Sox