The Boston Red Sox (75-75) travel to face off against the Tampa Bay Rays (73-77) on Tuesday, September 17th. This game will be played at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg and televised on NESN. Both the Red Sox and Rays are looking to bounce back from losses in their previous games. First pitch is set for 5:50 CT.

Red Sox vs. Rays Betting Prediction

• Money Line Prediction: Red Sox (-111)
• Over/Under Prediction: Over 7.5 Runs

• The Red Sox have scored 7 or more runs in 4 of their last 15 games, showing their offensive potential.
• In the last 15 games, the Red Sox have won 3 out of 4 games when scoring 5 or more runs.
• The Red Sox have a better away record (40-35) compared to the Rays’ home record (37-38).
• In their last series against the Rays, the Red Sox won 3 out of 4 games, outscoring the Rays 23-7.
• The Red Sox have a positive run differential (+5) in their last 15 games, indicating they are competitive in most games.

Red Sox vs Rays

The Rays Took The Last Game Of This Series

The Red Sox will be looking to get back on track after closing out their series vs. the Yankees with a 5-2 loss. Boston was the +149 underdog on the road going into this matchup. Things started off well for the Red Sox, as they got on the board with a run in the 2nd inning but gave up the lead right away as the Yankees scored three times in the bottom of the second.

Kutter Crawford got the start for the Red Sox and took the loss. He only lasted 4 1/3 innings, giving up four earned runs on six hits. The Red Sox’s offense scored their other run in the 4th but didn’t have any timely hitting, as they went 2/8 with runners in scoring position.

For the season, the Red Sox have a 71-79 run line record, with a 43-32 mark on the road and 28-47 at home. Their average run margin on the road is 0.6, compared to 0.0 overall. Boston’s over/under record is 74-68, and their games have averaged 9.4 runs.

In the AL East, the Red Sox are 12 games behind the Yankees and are in 3rd place with a 75-75 record. As favorites, they are 41-33, while as underdogs, they are 34-42. Boston’s series record this season is 22-19-6, and they are coming off a series loss to the Yankees.

Nick Pivetta Gets The Start For The Red Sox

Red Sox starter Nick Pivetta is coming off a start in which he gave up just one earned run in six innings of work. In that outing vs. the Orioles, he gave up just four hits and issued one walk. Pivetta finished with a no-decision in the outing. Looking back at his last four starts, he has finished with a no-decision in three of them. Pivetta’s record for the season is 5-10, and he has an ERA of 4.25. Opponents are batting .228 off the right-hander this season. Pivetta has made 23 starts, 10 of which were quality starts.

Red Sox Offense Breakdown

Over the past six games, Masataka Yoshida has been swinging a hot bat for the Red Sox, going 8/21 with a home run and six RBIs. Yoshida is also on a three-game hitting streak. Tyler O’Neill has gone deep twice in his past six games but is just 3/21 in that stretch. For the season, O’Neill is batting .254 with a team-high 31 homers.

Rafael Devers has been the Red Sox’s top run producer this season, with 83 RBIs to go along with his 28 homers. Devers is also batting .278, and his 3-game hitting streak is tied with Jarren Duran and Yoshida for the longest current streak on the team. Duran is 2nd on the team with 72 RBIs and is batting .287.

The Rays Took The Last Game Of This Series

The Rays will be looking to get back on track after closing out their series vs. the Guardians with a 2-0 loss. Tampa Bay was the +106 underdog on the road going into this matchup. Offensively, the Rays only had four fewer hits than the Guardians but didn’t score a run. Brandon Lowe was the only Rays hitter to have more than one hit, going 2/4.

Taj Bradley got the start for the Rays and took the loss. He only lasted 4 1/3 innings, giving up two earned runs on five hits. Tampa Bay’s bullpen was solid, as they didn’t give up a run. However, the Rays couldn’t complete the comeback, and Taj Bradley took the loss.

When the Rays win, they win big, as their average run margin in victories is +2.8. However, in losses, that margin drops to -3.4. This season, they have an over/under record of 65-77, with an average of 8.0 runs per game. Tampa Bay is 77-73 against the run line, including a 34-41 mark at home. As underdogs, they are 53-32 vs. the run line.

Heading into today’s game, the Rays have lost two straight and are 4-6 in their last ten games. They are 14 games behind the Yankees in the AL East and are currently in 4th place with a 73-77 overall record. Tampa Bay’s series record for the season is 22-18-7, and they most recently split their series vs. the Guardians.

Shane Baz Gets The Start For The Rays

Through 11 starts, Shane Baz has a record of 2-3 and an ERA of 3.28. His WHIP for the season is currently 1.19. Baz most recently faced the Phillies on September 11th, where he finished with a no-decision. In that outing, he gave up two earned runs in 5 1/3 innings of work. Looking back further, Baz has made five straight starts where he has given up two earned runs. The right-hander has a total of five quality starts this year. Baz’s ERA on the road is 3.01 compared to 4.17 at home.

Rays Offense Breakdown

So far this season, the Rays are averaging just 3.8 runs per game, which is 28th in the league. They are also near the bottom of the league in home runs and have a team batting average of just .230. However, they do have a few hitters who have been swinging the bat well of late. Jonathan Aranda has gone 5/15 in his last five games and has two homers in that stretch.

Yandy Diaz comes into the game on a seven-game hitting streak, and for the season, he is batting .283 with 14 homers and 65 RBIs. Christopher Morel has a team-high 21 homers but is batting just .198 for the season. Brandon Lowe is 2nd on the team with 18 homers and is batting .244.

Red Sox vs Rays Prediction

Our prediction for today’s Red Sox vs. Rays matchup is to take the Red Sox on the money line, with the payout being -111. We have the Red Sox winning this one by a score of 5-4.

Looking at some of the starting pitcher’s projections, we have Nick Pivetta finishing with six strikeouts, and for the Rays, Shane Baz is projected to finish with five. If you’re looking for a player prop bet, you could take the over on Pivetta’s strikeout total.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* 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.