Boston Red Sox vs Tampa Bay Rays Prediction MLB Picks 9/18/24

The Boston Red Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays meet Wednesday in MLB action from Tropicana Field. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Boston Red Sox vs. Tampa Bay Rays prediction.

Starting Pitching Matchup

The Boston Red Sox will start Tanner Houck here and Houck is 8-10 with a 3.24 ERA and 150 strikeouts this season. Ryan Pepiot will start for the Rays here and is 8-6 with a 3.76 ERA and 119 strikeouts this season.

Boston Red Sox Recap

The Boston Red Sox come into this one looking to bounce back after starting the series with an 8-3 loss at the hands of the Rays in Tuesday’s series opener. The loss put the Red Sox behind the 8-ball in terms of trying to bounce back from a series loss to the New York Yankees from this past weekend.

Red Sox Trying To Keep Season Alive

Jarren Duran leads the Red Sox with 179 hits along with 32 stolen bases, 45 doubles, 13 triples, and 149 strikeouts, and also has 21 home runs and 72 RBIs so far this season. Wilyer Abreu has 31 doubles and Ceddanne Rafaela also has 70 RBIs while Rafael Devers has 142 hits with 34 doubles, 28 home runs, 83 RBIs, and a .276 batting average this season. Tyler O’Neill also has 31 home runs and 61 RBIs as well while David Hamilton has a team-high 33 stolen bases this season.

Why the Boston Red Sox will win

• The underdogs have won each of the last four games between the Red Sox and Rays.
• The Rays have lost each of their last six games against AL East opponents following a home win.
• The Red Sox have covered the run line in each of their last nine games as underdogs against AL East opponents following a road loss.
• The Rays have failed to cover the run line in each of their last 10 Wednesday games as home favorites.

Tampa Bay Rays Recap

The Tampa Bay Rays come into this one looking to keep the momentum going after beating up the Red Sox in Tuesday’s opener. The win for the Rays puts them in a decent spot to build on their series split with the Guardians from this past weekend.

Rays Trying To Play Spoiler

Yandy Diaz has 153 hits with 29 doubles while Jose Caballero has a team-high 41 stolen bases. Richie Palacios also has 19 stolen bases while Jose Siri has 18 home runs, 47 RBIs, and a team-high 159 strikeouts. Brandon Lowe also has chipped in 19 home runs, 53 RBIs, and 3 triples as well this season. Jonny DeLuca also added 4 triples as well on the year.

Why the Tampa Bay Rays will win

• The Red Sox have lost each of their last 11 games at Tropicana Field following a loss.
• The Rays have won each of their last 11 home games against the Red Sox following a home win.
• The Red Sox have failed to cover the run line in each of their last 11 games against the Rays following a loss.
• The Rays have covered the run line in nine of their last 10 home games after playing the previous day.

Red Sox vs. Rays Prediction

I’m going to lean towards the Red Sox here. There are much better games on the board on Wednesday if we’re being honest, but the Red Sox have to win out to have the best shot at crashing the playoff picture and you can’t afford to drop games against the Rays who have been sluggish at the plate more often than not down the stretch. Houck’s the better option here and I have serious concerns going forward for Ryan Pepiot. I’ll side with the Red Sox in this one.