The Tampa Bay Rays (40-18) visit the Boston Red Sox (29-27) for the first of a four-game series on Friday night. First pitch commences at 7:10 p.m. ET. Tampa Bay leads the season series 4-0 thus far thanks to their home sweep in early April. Below we continue our MLB odds series with a Rays-Red Sox prediction, pick, and how to watch.

Here are the Rays-Red Sox MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

MLB Odds: Rays-Red Sox Odds

Tampa Bay Rays: -1.5 (+116)

Boston Red Sox: +1.5 (-140)

Over: 9 (-122)

Under: 9 (+100)

How To Watch Rays vs. Red Sox

TV: Bally Sports, NESN

Stream: MLB.tv

Time: 7:10 p.m. ET/ 4:10 p.m. PT

*See how to watch Rays-Red Sox LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why The Rays Could Cover The Spread

Last 10: 6-4 (First in the AL East)

Run Line Record: 32-26 (55%)

Over Record: 34-21-3 (62%)

Tampa Bay has been the best team in baseball all season as they hold a four-game lead over the next-closest teams. However, they showed signs of vulnerability after a blistering first month when they went 22-6. Although they still finished May with a stellar 17-12 record, the Rays ended on a sour note by dropping two of three to the Cubs. They'll need to rebound quickly tonight with the first of a four-game series with division rival Boston on deck. That said, Tampa Bay made short work of the Red Sox in their earlier series – winning all four games and outscoring them 26-12. The Rays covered in 3/4 of those games but they'll need their bats to heat back up if they want to do so again tonight.

Righty Tyler Glasgow (0-0) makes his second start of the season for the Rays tonight. Tampa Bay activated the talented 29-year-old last week after where he made just his third appearance since 2021. The 6'8″ fireballer fared well despite an underwhelming stat line. He lasted 4.1 innings against the Dodgers – giving up three runs on five hits in the process. Perhaps most encouraging, Glasnow's elite strikeout stuff was on full display as he K'd eight of the 13 batters he faced. With a career 11.4 K/9, Glasnow has long tantalized the baseball community but hasn't been able to stay healthy with his most expansive season totaling just 88 innings pitched. That said, he is elite when he's on the field and gives Tampa Bay a strong chance to cover tonight despite facing a potent Boston lineup.

With the Rays ranking second in the league in runs per game, strong hitters can be found up and down their lineup. Corner infielder Yandy Diaz finds himself in the midst of a breakout campaign and has destroyed right-handed pitching thanks to a .329 batting average.

Why The Red Sox Could Cover The Spread

Last 10: 3-7 (Fifth in the AL East)

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Run Line Record: 29-27 (52%)

Over Record: 33-21-2 (61%)

Boston has played winning baseball all year long – going 15-13 in April before finishing May 13-13. Interesting, they actually hit better during their .500 May – raising their team batting average to .272. Despite dropping all four to the Rays early in the season, the Red Sox stand a strong chance of covering tonight as home underdogs thanks to their 16-13 record at Fenway Park. The Rays, meanwhile, have been vulnerable away from home via their 14-12 road record. Additionally, Tampa Bay has only covered 43% as road favorites while the Red Sox covered 69% of the time as home underdogs. Still, Boston is coming off a home series loss to Cincy and will need their bats out in full force if they want to hang with Tampa Bay.

Righty Garrett Whitlock (2-2) makes his fifth start of the season for the Red Sox tonight. The 26-year-old showed flashes of brilliance switching between the rotation and bullpen over the last two seasons – compiling a sub-3.00 ERA and 4.7 WAR. He struggled out of the gates this year before hitting the IL. In his return to action last weekend, Whitlock looks sharp – allowing just a single run, no walks, and three hits in a five-inning win against the Diamondbacks. Still, he is difficult to trust tonight matched up with a Rays team that pegged him for eight hits and five runs in his season debut. However, Tampa Bay has cooled off since then and is notably hitting .040 points worse against righties compared to lefties this season.

The Red Sox boast one of the strongest offenses in the sport thanks to scoring the fourth-most runs per game. While their power comes and goes, their fifth-ranked OPS makes them a force to be reckoned with at the plate. Masataka Yoshida enters tonight particularly hot – batting .409 while pacing the team with 14 total bases over their last six games. He's feasted on right-handed pitching this season – against whom he recorded a .910 OPS.

Final Rays-Red Sox Prediction & Pick

Boston getting runs at home is too good to pass up – ride the home dogs.

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