Subscribe
Follow Us
With the Yankees holding a commanding lead in the American League East, second place and a firm grip on a Wild Card spot is up for grabs as the Tampa Bay Rays and the Boston Red Sox go head-to-head on Tuesday evening. Join us for our MLB odds series, where our Rays-Red Sox prediction and pick will be revealed.
Winners in three of their previous four matchups, the Rays will look to avenge a 4-0 shutout loss at Fenway yesterday where Tampa Bay saw themselves not being able to get the offense going with only a pair of hits on the day. Eager to get his squad back in the win column will be the southpaw in Jeffrey Springs. Through ten games started, Springs has compiled a 3-2 record while obtaining an effective 2.25 ERA.
On the cusp of winning their fifth straight Fenway game, the Red Sox have proved to the rest of the league that they are a tough out at home. On the mound for Boston will be the reliable righty in Nick Pivetta, who is 8-5 with a 3.23 ERA in 2022.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Rays-Red Sox MLB odds.
MLB Odds: Rays-Red Sox Odds
Tampa Bay Rays: +1.5 (-178)
Boston Red Sox: -1.5 (+146)
Over: 9 (-120)
Under: 9 (-102)
*Watch MLB Games LIVE with fuboTV (click for free trial)
Why The Rays Could Cover the Spread
Remaining consistent in the wins/losses department has been a struggle for the Rays 80 games into the season, but they still sit at a healthy record of 43-37 and are in a prime position to reach the postseason yet again. After a dismantling effort over their divisional foes in the Blue Jays by combining for 24 runs in their last series, Tampa Bay seemingly took a step back on Monday.
While the Rays have been an up-and-down team from the plate all season long, their old ways seemed to come back to haunt them as they rarely had runners in scoring position. Against a tough twirler in the likes of Pivetta, the Rays' offensive attack that is only 26th in the league in scoring will need to generate some offense if they want to put a halt to Boston's winning ways at home.
The good news? Jeffrey Springs. In the lefty's last ten starts, he has pitched deep into ball games to put the Rays in an excellent position to win. In fact, in an interleague matchup versus the Pirates, Springs punched out nine batters over the course of six innings pitched. This type of repeat on Tuesday will keep the pressure off of a Rays lineup that has scuffled for a majority of the year. In his career, Springs has never faced off with Boston. More importantly, stellar pitching from Springs and some prolonged at-bats will go a long way in giving the Rays a tremendous chance to cover the spread this evening.
Why The Red Sox Could Cover the Spread
Now at an impressive 45-35 as we approach the halfway mark of the season, Boston has primed themselves to separate themselves from the rest of the contenders during the second half of the scheduled slate. While most teams like the Red Sox have had to make adjustments to their rotations and lineups whether it be due to injuries or even just performance-based wise, Boston's roster certainly does not lack depth. By being able to beat you in a multitude of ways, Boston has given sports bettors quite the profitable return as they have performed well against the spread, for the most part, this season.
Boston's best chance to cover the spread like they did yesterday this evening is a similar formula that they have become quite familiar with. After starter Michael Wacha was a late scratch on Monday after experiencing a bout of dead arm, the Red Sox received a masterful outing from righty Kutter Crawford. Crawford fired five scoreless innings and struck out eight Rays over that span. If Pivetta can continue his solid and consistent ways and can reach Crawford's level from a day ago, then Boston may end up coming away with back-to-back wins over their AL East rivals.
Additionally, the biggest difference between these two ball clubs is with the sticks in their hands. While Tampa Bay has no doubt shown their struggles throughout the season, the opposite could be said about the franchise that is located in the upper Northeast of America. With the top batting average of .261 in all of the land and an extremely effective .325 on-base percentage, the Red Sox are capable of putting an insurmountable amount of pressure on a team within the base paths.
Final Rays-Red Sox Prediction & Pick
This matchup is going to come down to the Rays pitching versus the Red Sox bats. We all know that Tampa Bay can let it fly from the mound like nobody's business, but with the lack of production at the plate for the Rays being a major question mark, Jeffrey Springs will need to be on his A-game. Expect the Rays to bounce back tonight, as their pitching prowess should be enough for them to at least cover the +1.5 spread.
Final Rays-Red Sox Prediction & Pick: Rays +1.5 (-178)
