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The Rays make the trip to Boston to face the Red Sox! Both teams have been inconsistent in one of the toughest divisions in baseball, the AL East. The Rays are just under .500, while the Red Sox are just above .500, and both are still trying to catch both the Orioles and the Yankees. Our MLB odds series has our Rays-Red Sox prediction, odds, and pick for Tuesday.
The Rays have been inconsistent out of the gate, and currently sit with a 20-21 record, and they enter this series having lost three out of their last four games. The Rays are just outside the top-1o when in the MLB when it comes to their bats, but their pitching has struggled. The difference between their bats and pitching quality is a massive reason why they have been inconsistent this season. Isaac Paredes, Amed Rosario, Yandy Diaz, Harold Ramirez, and Randy Arozarena have been very good for the Rays offense. On the mound, Zach Eflin, Ryan Pepiot, and Zack Littell have been solid for a unit that has struggled as a whole on the season. This will be an interesting matchup within the division because each team is chasing the top two teams.
The Red Sox have been solid overall at 21-19, and have recently won two straight games following a three-game losing streak. Statistically, the Red Sox are solid on offense with their bats in the top half of the MLB. Tyler O'Neill, Triston Casas, Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela, and Rafael Devers are all talented players and have been solid to a varying degree behind the plate and it is showing up so far this season. In comparison, their pitching has been red-hot up to this point, and is the best staff in the MLB. Tanner Houck, Kutter Crawford, Brayan Bello, Nick Pivetta, and Garrett Whitlock have made up a very good pitching staff with all five varying from good to great overall. The Red Sox have shown their potential this season, but they have struggled to put it all together this season.
Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Rays-Red Sox Odds
Tampa Bay Rays: +1.5 (-178)
Moneyline: +110
Boston Red Sox: -1.5 (+146)
Moneyline: -130
Over: 10 (-115)
Under: 10 (-105)
How to Watch Rays vs. Red Sox
Time: 7:10 pm ET
TV: Bally Sports Sun / NESN
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why The Rays Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Rays are starting Aaron Civale on the mound where he has a 2-3 record, a 5.88 ERA, and a 1.35 WHIP. He has allowed 28 runs on 44 hits with 12 walks and 43 strikeouts through 41.1 innings. The Rays are also 4-4 in the eight games that he's appeared in, so far this season. In his last start, he pitched 4.2 innings and allowed two runs on five hits with two walks and four strikeouts. Aaron Civale has struggled at times this season and the matchup against the Red Sox behind the plate is going to be tough for him.
The offense for the Rays has been solid this season behind the plate, coming in just outside the top 10 in the MLB. They are 12th in team-batting average at .244 after finishing last season with a .260 batting average. Isaac Paredes leads the way in most batting categories. Paredes leads the way in batting average at .300, in home runs at eight, in RBI at 22, in OBP at .387, and in total hits at 42. The Rays and their bats have a tough matchup against Nick Pivetta on the mound for the Red Sox.
Why The Red Sox Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Red Sox are starting Nick Pivetta on the mound and he has a 1-2 record, a 3.60 ERA, and a 1.13 WHIP. He's allowed six runs on 15 hits with two walks and 14 strikeouts through 15 total innings so far this year. Through the three games that he has pitched in this year, the Red Sox reflect his record at 1-2. In his last start, he pitched four innings and allowed five runs on seven hits with one walk and one strikeout. Pivetta has been very good during limited time on the mound this season, but the Red Sox need to back him up more when he is out there.
The Red Sox's offense has been solid to start the season. They are 14th in team batting average at .243 after finishing last season with a .258 batting average. The offense is led by Rafael Devers, Tyler O'Neill, Ceddanne Rafaela, and Jarren Duran in most of the offensive categories behind the plate. Devers leads in batting average at .287 and in OBP at .398. O'Neill leads in home runs at nine, Rafaela leads in RBI at 22, and then Duran leads in total hits at 43. The Red Sox have been playing decently behind the plate and this is a good matchup against Civale with how much he has struggled this season so far.
Final Rays-Red Sox Prediction & Pick
The Red Sox have the advantage in this spot because of Nick Pivetta starting on the mound when compared to Aaron Civale. Their bats are very similar and the difference is marginal. It comes down to pitching and then it helps that the Red Sox are at home in this spot too. Expect the Red Sox to win and cover in this game.
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Final Rays-Red Sox Prediction & Pick: Red Sox -1.5 (+146)
