Thank God it's Friday! After surviving the workweek, kick up your feet and relax to this AL East treat between the Boston Red Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays. Join us for our  MLB odds series, where our Red Sox-Rays prediction and pick will be revealed.

 

Losers of three of their past four games played, the Red Sox will be eager t0 get back on track in their first meeting with the Rays this season after both clubs met in the postseason last year. Boston will send out long-time Cardinal Michael Wacha, who has only allowed one run in 9.1 innings pitched over his last two starts.

Sitting at 7-6 and currently in second place in the AL East, it appears the Rays are starting to find a groove after reeling off back-to-back victories in the confines of Wrigley Field in Chicago. Getting the start for Tampa Bay will be RHP Corey Kluber and his 1.86 ERA through a pair of opening season starts.

Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Red Sox-Rays MLB odds:

MLB Odds: Red Sox-Rays Odds

Boston Red Sox : +1.5 (-170)

Tampa Bay Rays: -1.5 (+140)

Over: 8 (-114)

Under: 8 (-106)

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Why The Red Sox Could Cover the Spread

Entering Friday, it appears that the Red Sox haven't quite hit their stride and figured out their winning formula thus far in the 2022 season. While only 13 games into the campaign, there is still an abundant amount of time to work out the kinks and discover their true identity as the season progresses.

It should be noted that while Boston has an extremely deep lineup, they will be missing one of their main pieces in J.D. Martinez after the slugger suffered a groin injury on Wednesday versus Toronto. It will be dire for the Red Sox to step up and find a way to replace Martinez's epic production, as the 30-year-old is tied for second on the team in runs batted in with seven.

More importantly, it has seemed to be a struggle in getting men on the base paths, as Boston currently is maintaining a lowly on-base percentage of .284, which is only the 26th best mark in all of baseball. In order to snap a two-game slide on Friday, Boston batters have to get after Kluber and make even the littlest of details super challenging for the 36-year-old veteran. The Red Sox have found the most success at the dish when they are working deep into counts and making opposing pitching fight for every pitch.

After being named NLCS MVP in his rookie season, Michael Wacha has seen his career go through a rollercoaster ride, as the now 30-year-old has had a rocky ERA of 4.67 since the start of the 2016 season. Even though Wacha has faced slumping squads in Minnesota and Detroit in his first couple of starts, Wacha has looked much improved and will provide a major spark to the Red Sox on Friday if he can avoid walks and keep Tampa Bay on their toes.

Why The Rays Could Cover the Spread

Throughout the entire off-season, the Rays were one of few teams that the baseball world had their eyes on as a World Series contender heading into 2022. With franchise-changing pieces at the plate and on the mound, Tampa Bay certainly has what it takes to make some noise this season. While 2022 has been up and down for the Rays to this point, no one can deny the amount of talent within that clubhouse.

One name to watch if the Rays are going to cover the spread will be young phenom Wander Franco, who has exploded onto the season in the last couple of seasons and isn't slowing down at all this year, as the skilled shortstop currently leads the league in hits and is possessing an extremely efficient OPS+ at 211 through his 12 games played. With a lineup consisting of Franco, Arozarena, and Choi occupying the top of the Tampa Bay lineup, opposing pitching must be very delicate in how they approach these superstar sluggers.

Shifting our focus to the rubber, Kluber has pitched rather well in his appearances versus Boston, as the three-time All-Star and two-time AL Cy Young award winner has compiled a .219 batting average against over the span of 96 at-bats. Through his first two starts of the 2022 season, Kluber has only surrendered seven hits over 9 2/3 innings pitched.

Final Red Sox-Rays Prediction & Pick

The Rays' offense will play spoiler to Michael Wacha and his stellar pitching up to this point, as Tampa Bay's lineup is far too dangerous to avoid a slip-up. Tampa Bay covers the spread and treats the home crowd to a Friday night victory in game one of this divisional series.

Final Red Sox-Rays Pick: Rays -1.5 (+140)