Tampa Bay Rays (25-23) vs Boston Red Sox (23-24)
Game Info: Monday, May 20, 2024 at 6:50 pm (Tropicana Field)
Taj Bradley (1-1) (2.45) vs Tanner Houck (3-5) (2.17)
Betting Odds: Tampa Bay Rays -110 / Boston Red Sox -110 --- Over/Under: 7.5 Click Here for the Latest Odds
Where to Watch: MLB.tv
In this article we will formulate a Boston Red Sox vs Tampa Bay Rays prediction for this MLB game on Monday, May 20th at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. To formulate this prediction for game one in the series, we will examine:
- The Red Sox recent form and recent player performance
- The Rays recent form and recent play performance
- Recent Betting trends and streaks involving Boston
- Recent Betting trends and streaks involving Tampa Bay
- Recent betting trends in games played between Boston and Tampa Bay
- A summary that ties it all together and produces a favorable betting outcome for Today’s Game between Boston and Tampa Bay
Boston Almost Back to .500
The Boston Red Sox are 23-24 this year and they have lost four of their last five games. Boston is coming off of a series loss against the Cardinals, where they lost two out of three games. Prior to that series, the Red Sox lost three out of four against Tampa Bay, won two out of three against Washington, and lost both games against Atlanta. Boston is just 4-8 in their last 12 games and they are fourth in the AL East.
The Boston pitching staff has a 3.03 ERA, a 1.14 WHIP, and a .228 opponent batting average. The Red Sox offense has scored 207 runs with a .245 batting average and a .316 on base percentage. Rafael Devers is batting .285 with nine home runs and 21 RBI’s for the Red Sox this year. Boston has the second best team ERA in the MLB, but they have allowed at least seven runs in three of their last four games.
Rays are Heating Up
The Tampa Bay Rays are 25-23 this season and they have won four of their last five games. Tampa Bay is coming off of a series win against Toronto, where they won two out of three games. Prior to that series, the Rays won three out of four against Boston, lost two out of three against the Yankees, and won two out of three against the White Sox. Tampa Bay is 11-5 in their last 16 games and they are third in the AL East.
The Tampa Bay pitching staff has a 4.29 ERA, a 1.26 WHIP, and a .244 opponent batting average. The Rays offense has scored 198 runs with a .242 batting average and a .313 on base percentage. Isaac Paredes is batting .309 with nine home runs and 26 RBI’s for the Rays this season. Tampa Bay has scored at least four runs in eight of their last nine games.
Starting Pitchers
The projected starting pitcher for Boston is Tanner Houck, who is 3-5 with a 2.17 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP over 58.0 innings pitched this year. Houck has allowed three earned runs or fewer in five straight starts, but has allowed at least five hits in four of those outings. The projected starting pitcher for Tampa Bay is Taj Bradley, who is 1-1 with a 2.45 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP over 11.0 innings pitched this season. Bradley has allowed three earned runs and eight hits over 11.0 innings against the Red Sox and Yankees this year.
Why the Boston Red Sox will win
The Rays have lost four of their last five games as favorites following a loss.The underdogs have won three of the last four games between the Red Sox and Rays.The road team has covered the run line in seven of the Rays' last eight games.The Rays have failed to cover the run line in 11 of their last 13 games as favorites after playing the previous day.
Total Runs Facts
Each of the Red Sox's last four games have gone OVER the total runs line.Six of the Rays' last seven night games after playing the previous day have gone UNDER the total runs line.The 'Inning 1 UNDER 0.5 runs' market has hit in each of the Rays' last four games.The 'Inning 1 OVER 0.5 runs' market has hit in each of the Red Sox's last five Monday night games.
Boston Red Sox vs Tampa Bay Rays Prediction
These two teams come into this matchup with just 1.5 games separating them in the AL East standings, but they are trending in opposite directions. Tampa Bay is playing some of their best baseball of the season, while Boston has dropped eight of their last 12. The Red Sox are 13-11 on the road, while Tampa Bay is 14-12 at home. Despite Boston’s recent struggles, I like how Houck has pitched this season and my Boston Red Sox vs Tampa Bay Rays prediction is for the Red Sox to get the win.
David’s Pick Red Sox ML
AUTHOR: David Racey
