The Tampa Bay Rays (21-22) travel to face off against the Boston Red Sox (22-20) on Wednesday, May 15th. 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 Red Sox. First pitch is set for 7:10 ET.
Rays vs Red Sox
Boston picked up a 5-4 win over the Rays in the most recent game of this series. The Red Sox had a late rally, scoring one run in the 11th and another in the 12th, picking up the win as -122 favorites.
Tampa Bay wasted a good outing from Aaron Civale, as he gave up just three earned runs in five innings of work for the Rays. Manuel Rodriguez took the loss.
Offensively, the Red Sox were led by Ceddanne Rafaela, who homered and went 1/3 at the plate. Rafael Devers also had a two-hit game for Boston.
Tampa Bay is 21-22 overall this season, and they are seven games behind the Yankees for the AL East lead. So far, they are 5-7 against other AL East teams. The Rays are on the road today, and they are 7-10 on the road this year.
At home, the Rays have gone 14-12. Tampa Bay will come into today’s game with an overall series record of 5-6-2. In their series vs. the Red Sox, the Rays and Red Sox are tied 1-1 heading into today’s game. The Rays have gone 14-15 as the favorite this year and 7-7 as the underdog.
The Rays have been a solid bet against the run line this season, with an 18-25 record. They are 10-16 at home and 8-9 on the road. They have covered the run line in two straight games and are 9-5 as an underdog.
The Tampa Bay Rays have had a combined run average of 8.9 runs per game this season, and their over/under record is 23-19. Their games have been averaging 8 runs per game, and when the line is set at 8 runs, their over/under record is 8-3. So far this season, 53.5% of their games have had over/under lines set higher than 8 runs.
Taj Bradley Gets The Start For The Rays
Coming off of a tough-luck loss in his first start of the season, Taj Bradley and the Rays are on the road to take on the Red Sox. Bradley went 6 innings in his first start, giving up just 1 earned run and striking out 7, but he took the loss against the Yankees.
Rays Offense Breakdown
Isaac Paredes has been a bright spot for the Rays offense this season, batting .303 with a team-high 23 RBIs and eight homers. He has also been swinging a hot bat of late, going 12/32 in his last nine games. Yandy Diaz has also been swinging the bat well for Tampa Bay, going 15/42 in his last 10 games and is batting .253 for the season.
As a team, the Rays are averaging 4.1 runs per game and are 10th in the league in team batting average. They are also among the league leaders in BABIP, but are just 19th in isolated power. Tampa Bay’s offense has been pretty balanced, with three different players having at least eight homers.
Boston is 3rd in the AL East and trails the Yankees by 5.5 games. So far, they have gone just 1-4 in divisional games. The Red Sox are 22-20 overall and are 4-6 across their last ten games. At home, they are 10-11 this season.
As the home favorite, the Red Sox have gone 7-7 this year and are 12-7 overall as the favorite. Boston is 12-9 on the road compared to 10-11 at home. So far this year, they have an overall series record of 7-5-1.
Despite being just below .500 against the run line this season, the Red Sox have been a solid bet on the road, going 13-8 against the run line. They have also been a good bet as the underdog, going 14-9 against the run line. The average run differential in their games this season is +0.8 runs per game, but they have been outscored at home, where they are just 7-14 against the run line.
Today’s over/under line of 8 runs is right in line with the Red Sox’s season average of 7.8 runs per game. Their over/under record for the season is 14-24, and when the line has been set at 8 runs, they have gone 1-3-2. So far this season, 57.1% of their games have had over/under lines set higher than 8 runs.
Tanner Houck Gets The Start For The Red Sox
Red Sox starter Tanner Houck has made 8 starts this season and has a record of 3-4. His ERA for the season is an impressive 2.24, along with a WHIP of .97. Houck has turned in seven quality starts this year and has a shutout to his name. In his last outing, he took the loss, giving up 3 earned runs in 7 innings of work. Before that, he had given up at least 2 earned runs in three straight outings. Houck’s ERA at home is 2.89, compared to 1.88 on the road.
Red Sox Offense Breakdown
As a team, the Red Sox are averaging 4.3 runs per game, which is 16th in the league. This season, they are batting .242, and their team on-base percentage of .314 is 10th in the league. Boston has been pretty good at avoiding strikeouts this season, as their 9 strikeouts per game is the 23rd best mark in the league. The Red Sox have been good at putting the ball in play this season, as their team BABIP is the 4th best mark in the league.
Ceddanne Rafaela comes into the game as the Red Sox’s home run leader, but he is batting just .211 for the season. However, he has gone 6/23 in his last seven games with one homer. Tyler O’Neill has the team’s best batting average, hitting .265, and his 10 home runs are the 4th most in the league. However, he is batting just .154 in his last seven games.
Rays vs Red Sox Prediction
Our prediction for today’s Rays vs. Red Sox game is to take the Red Sox on the money line at -140. We do have the Red Sox winning this one by a final score of 5-4. If you are looking for a parlay, you could also look to the over/under line, which is sitting at 8 runs.
Looking at the starting pitchers, Tanner Houck of the Red Sox is projected to finish with six strikeouts, and he is a good option in terms of fantasy points. As for the Rays starter, Taj Bradley is projected to finish with five K’s, and he is in the middle of the pack in terms of fantasy points.
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 15, 2024 Rays, Red Sox