The Boston Red Sox (75-76) travel to face off against the Tampa Bay Rays (74-77) on Wednesday, September 18th. This game will be played at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg and televised on NESN. The Rays are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Red Sox are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Rays. First pitch is set for 5:50 CT.

Red Sox vs. Rays Betting Prediction

• Money Line Prediction: Red Sox (+100)
• 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 potential for high offensive output.
• In their last 15 games, the Red Sox have won 3 out of 5 games when scoring 5 or more runs.
• The Red Sox have a recent head-to-head victory against the Rays, winning 8-5 on May 22nd.
• The Red Sox have a better away record (40-36) compared to the Rays’ home record (38-38), indicating they perform well on the road.
• The Red Sox have won 4 out of their last 10 games, showing they can still secure victories despite recent struggles.

Red Sox vs Rays

Tampa Bay cruised to an easy 8-3 win over the Red Sox in the most recent game of this series. The Rays had a huge 5th inning, scoring four of their eight runs. As for the Red Sox, they scored their only three runs in the 8th. Heading into the game, the Rays were at +111 on the money line.

Shane Baz pitched well for the Rays in this one, going seven innings and giving up just two hits and two earned runs. He finished the game with six strikeouts but issued one walk. Nick Pivetta had a rough outing for the Red Sox, taking the loss after going just 4 2/3 innings and giving up four earned runs.

At the plate, Triston Casas and Romy Gonzalez were the only two Red Sox hitters to have more than one hit. Casas also hit the game’s only home run. For the Rays, Jose Siri went 2/4 with a homer and four RBIs.

As the road favorite, the Red Sox have a 15-6 record this season and are 40-36 on the road overall. Their average run margin on the road is +0.5 runs per game, and they have covered the run line in two straight road games. For the season, their run line record is 71-80, with a 43-33 record on the road.

Boston is currently 3rd in the AL East, 13 games behind the Yankees, with an overall record of 75-76. They have lost two straight games and are down 0-1 in the series against the Rays.

Tanner Houck Gets The Start For The Red Sox

Tanner Houck is looking to bounce back from a rough outing vs. the Mets, as he gets the start for the Red Sox today. Against the Mets, he gave up four earned runs in five innings of work, taking the loss. Looking at his overall numbers, Houck has made 28 starts and has a record of 8-10. His ERA for the season is 3.24, along with a WHIP of 1.17. This year, he has one complete game shutout and 19 quality starts. Per nine innings, Houck is averaging 7.96 strikeouts and 2.49 walks.

Red Sox Offense Breakdown

Heading into today’s game, the Red Sox are 7th in home runs and 5th in team batting average. They have been a tough lineup to strike out this season, but they are just 9th in runs per game. Boston has been a good road team this season in terms of scoring, averaging 4.9 runs per contest.

Rafael Devers has been the Red Sox’s top power threat this season, with 28 homers and 83 RBIs, both of which lead the team. He is also batting a solid .276. Tyler O’Neill has 31 homers this season, which is 11th in the league, but he has struggled a bit of late, hitting just .237 over his last 10 games. However, he does have six homers during that stretch. Jarren Duran comes into the game with a .285 batting average and has gone deep 21 times this season.

Overall, the Rays have an over/under record of 66-77 this season, with their games averaging 8.0 runs per game. They have played in 86 games with a total line higher than 7.5 runs, which is 57% of their total games. Tampa Bay’s series record for the season is 22-18-7.

Tampa Bay’s straight-up record is 35-30 when they have been the favorite, and 39-47 as the underdog. They are currently in 4th place in the AL East, one game behind the Red Sox for the 3rd spot. The Rays are 74-77 overall, and they trail the Yankees by 14 games in the division.

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 8-6 and ERA of 3.76. So far this season, he has made 23 starts, and opponents are batting .211 off the right-hander. Pepiot’s WHIP for the season is currently 1.17. In his 23 starts, he has turned in eight quality starts and is averaging 9.31 strikeouts per nine innings. Looking back at his last outing, Pepiot finished with a no-decision, giving up two earned runs in two innings of work. Before that, he had gone 5 1/3 innings without giving up an earned run.

Rays Offense Breakdown

Yandy Diaz comes into the game as the Rays’ top hitter this season, as he is batting .283 and has gone 12/29 in his last eight games. Over that stretch, he has one home run and three RBIs. Diaz is currently on an eight-game hitting streak. Christopher Morel has really struggled at the plate this season, batting just .198, but he does lead the team with 21 home runs.

Brandon Lowe has also been swinging the bat well of late, going 7/27 in his last eight games with three homers and four RBIs. For the season, he is hitting .243 with 19 homers, which is the 2nd most on the team.

Red Sox vs Rays Prediction

Our predictions for this Red Sox and Rays matchup is that the Red Sox will pick up a 5-4 road win. We are taking the Red Sox on the money line, where they are currently at +100.

Looking at the starting pitchers, we have Tanner Houck finishing with seven strikeouts, which is the third-best among starters today. As for Ryan Pepiot, we have him finishing with just four K’s, which is the second-worst among starters.

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.