The Tampa Bay Rays (20-21) travel to face off against the Boston Red Sox (21-19) on Monday, May 13th. This game will be played at Fenway Park in Boston 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 Yankees. First pitch is set for 7:10 ET.
Rays vs Red Sox
The Rays will be looking to get back on track after closing out their series vs. the Yankees with a 10-6 loss. Tampa Bay was the +122 underdog at home going into this matchup. Things started off well for the Rays, as they got on the board with a run in the 1st inning but gave up the lead right away as the Yankees scored a run of their own in the top of the first.
Tampa Bay started Tyler Alexander, and he took the loss, going seven innings and giving up six earned runs on seven hits. The Rays also issued three walks and hit a batter. Jose Siri had only one hit, but it was a home run, and Yandy Diaz had a good day at the plate, going 1/4 with a homer and scoring two runs.
Tampa Bay is 20-21 overall and trails the Orioles by seven games for the AL East lead. So far, they have gone just 4-6 in divisional matchups. The Rays are on the road today, and they are 6-9 as the road team this year.
The Rays dropped two of three in their series vs. the Yankees. Currently, they are 6-4 over their last 10 games. As the favorite, Tampa Bay is 14-15 this year, and they are 4-6 when favored on the road. Their overall series record is 5-6-2 this year.
When the Rays are on the road, they are 6-9 against the run line, including a 2-game losing streak. They have a run differential of -1.5 runs per game away from home, and their average run differential in all games is -0.8 runs per game. They are 7-5 against the run line as underdogs and 9-20 as favorites.
The Tampa Bay Rays have been a part of some high-scoring games recently, as their last two games have gone over the total runs line. Their combined run average for the season is 8.9, and their over/under record is 23-18. When the over/under line is set at 8.5, they have a record of 7-9. Overall, 12.2% of their games have had over/under lines set at 8.5, and their games have gone over the total runs line 48.8% of the time this season.
Zach Eflin Gets The Start For The Rays
Tampa Bay is sending right-hander Zach Eflin to the mound today as he faces the Red Sox on the road. Eflin has made eight starts this year and has a record of 2-4 with a 3.75 ERA. In his last outing, he pitched well, going seven innings and giving up just one earned run. He finished with three strikeouts in that outing. Looking back, Eflin has made four straight quality starts. Per nine innings, he has 7.31 strikeouts and just 0.75 walks. Eflin has allowed a total of seven home runs this year.
Rays Offense Breakdown
Isaac Paredes has been a bright spot for the Rays this season, as he is batting .300 and leads the team with eight home runs and 22 RBIs. Paredes has also been swinging a hot bat of late, going 10/27 in his last eight games. Randy Arozarena is also among the league leaders in home runs but is batting just .158 for the season and .207 in his last eight games.
Yandy Diaz has been on a tear of late, going 12/32 in his last eight games, including two home runs. This has helped him move into the team lead with a batting average of .300. He is also on a four-game hitting streak.
Heading into their last game vs. the Nationals, the Red Sox closed out the series with a 3-2 win. Leading up to the game, they were the slight favorite at -138 on the money line. It was a three-run 2nd inning that really turned things in their favor, and the Nationals could only score two runs, both of which came in the 4th.
Brayan Bello put together a good start for the Red Sox, going five innings and giving up just two earned runs, and picking up the win. Boston’s offense was carried by Garrett Cooper, who went 2/3 with a double, two RBIs, and a run scored. The Red Sox also had a big game from Ceddanne Rafaela, going 1/3 with two RBIs.
Boston is 21-19 overall and trails the Orioles by 5.5 games in the AL East. So far, they are 0-3 in AL East matchups. The Red Sox have taken two straight games, and they are 9-10 at home compared to 12-9 on the road.
As the underdog, Boston is 10-13 this year and 11-6 as the favorite. Their overall series record is 7-5-1, and they won their most recent series vs. the Nationals. Looking at how they have fared recently, the Red Sox are 4-6 over their last ten games.
When betting the run line, the Red Sox have been a better play on the road, where they are 13-8 compared to 7-12 at home. They have a run differential of +1.8 runs per game on the road, compared to -0.3 at home. They have been a better play as the underdog, going 14-9 compared to 6-11 as the favorite.
Over the last five games, the Boston Red Sox have gone under the total each time. The team’s games have averaged just five runs per contest during this span, and the Red Sox have gone under in 14 of their 23 games overall this season. Their games have averaged 7.8 runs per contest this year, and the team’s over/under record is 7-7 when the total line is set at 8.5 runs.
Kutter Crawford Gets The Start For The Red Sox
Right-hander Kutter Crawford gets the start for the Red Sox today as he faces the Rays at home. He has made eight starts this year and has a record of 2-1 with an ERA of 1.75. Crawford’s WHIP for the season is 1.08, and opponents are batting .205 off him this year. Crawford has turned in five quality starts and is coming off an outing in which he finished with a no-decision. In that start vs. the Braves, he went six innings and gave up two earned runs, six hits, and two homers. Before that, he had won two straight starts.
Red Sox Offense Breakdown
Heading into today’s game, the Red Sox offense is averaging 4.3 runs per game, which is 16th in the league. This season, they have been a better offensive team on the road, averaging 4.5 runs per game. As a team, they are batting .243, which is 10th in the league, and have the 10th best on-base percentage and slugging percentage in the league.
Ceddanne Rafaela comes into the game as the Red Sox’s top run producer, as he is 14th in the league with 22 RBIs. Rafaela is also 5th on the team with three home runs but is batting just .213 for the season. Over his last five games, Rafaela is hitting .294. Tyler O’Neill has been a good power threat for the Red Sox, as his nine home runs are 5th in the league. However, he is batting just .264 and has gone 2/19 in his last five games.
Rays vs Red Sox Prediction
Our prediction for today’s Rays vs. Red Sox game is to take the Red Sox to win straight up. The money line payout for a Red Sox win is -119, and with our predicted final score being 6-5 in favor of the Red Sox, there is some good value in taking them on the money line.
Looking at some potential player props, you could look to take Zach Eflin’s strikeout total, as we have him finishing with six K’s. As for the Red Sox starter, Kutter Crawford, we have him ending the game with four strikeouts.
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 13, 2024 Rays, Red Sox