Boston Red Sox vs Tampa Bay Rays Predictions, Odds, Picks

• Vets on the mound
• Both offenses look to get going
• X-factor to watch on both sides

Boston Red Sox vs Tampa Bay Rays Odds

Boston Red Sox vs Tampa Bay Rays  Prediction and Pick

Both teams come off of off days so the squads should be fully rested. After dropping four straight last week, the Rays appear to have started righting the ship, winning three of their past four. The Red Sox, meanwhile, have lost three of their past four, scoring three runs or fewer in each of their games. Boston rarely plays well at Tropicana Field or indoor domes in general, they’ve won just four of the past 15 games they’ve played on artificial surfaces. We’re going to take the Rays money line.

Pick:

Tampa Bay Rays to Win 

Boston Red Sox vs Tampa Bay Rays Betting Trends to Watch (As of 4.21)

• Red Sox are 4-1 in their last 5 games following a loss
• Red Sox are 4-1 in their last 5 vs. American League East
• Red Sox are 10-3 in their last 13 games vs. a starter with a WHIP less than 1.15
• Red Sox are 9-4 in their last 13 games with the total set at 7.0-8.5
• Red Sox are 8-21 in their last 29 games as an underdog
• Red Sox are 4-11 in their last 15 games on astroturf
• Red Sox are 2-9 in their last 11 games vs. a right-handed starter
• Rays are 73-24 in their last 97 home games vs. a right-handed starter
• Rays are 12-4 in their last 16 Friday games
• Rays are 10-4 in their last 14 games following an off day
• Rays are 44-19 in their last 63 games as a favorite
• Rays are 2-5 in their last 7 games with the total set at 7.0-8.5
• Under is 7-0 in Red Sox last 7 games following a loss
• Under is 5-0 in Red Sox last 5 vs. American League East
• Under is 6-0 in Red Sox last 6 vs. a team with a winning record
• Under is 4-1 in Red Sox last 5 road games
• Under is 5-2 in the last 7 meetings in Tampa Bay
• Rays are 8-3 in the last 11 meetings in Tampa Bay
• Under is 7-1 in Rays last 8 during game 1 of a series
• Under is 5-2 in Rays last 7 games as a favorite

Garcia’s 2022 record: (6-5)

Veterans On The Mound

Michael Wacha, now in his 10th season and first with the Red Sox, is set to face the team he was on last season, led by Corey Kluber, in his 12th season and first with the Rays.

So far, each pitcher has started this chapter of their career on the right foot. Wacha has made two starts, but has no decisions on his record yet. Wacha gave up one run on two hits in 4.1 innings in his season debut against the Tigers, before giving up no runs on just one hit and two walks in five innings against the Twins.

On the season, he has a 0.96 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and nine strikeouts. Through just two starts, he has a 0.5 WAR compared to the last two seasons when he made 38 total appearances and had a combined -0.9 WAR.

On the other side, Corey Kluber has matched that almost exactly through his two outings. Kluber threw 4.2 shutout innings in his debut, giving up three hits and four walks while striking out five. In his second start he lasted five innings, giving up two runs on four hits with no walks and four strikeouts.

The goal for Kluber is to improve that strikeout to walk ratio as much as he can. In his prime, it was better than 4:1 for six consecutive seasons. Over the past four seasons it’s been 2.5:1 or worse.

Red Sox Look to Get Going while Rays Hope to Stay Hot

The Red Sox are supposed to be one of the highest-powered attacks in all of baseball, but as of the past week, they haven’t looked like it. Boston has scored three runs or fewer in five straight games and four runs or fewer in seven straight.

During that stretch, Kike Hernandez (4-of-25), Trevor Story (4-of-17) and Bobby Dalbec (1-of-17) are a combined 9-for-59 with four RBIs.

That said, there has been a positive development in Jackie Bradley Jr. The outfielder who had the worst batting average in all of baseball last season is 6-of-16 (.375) over that timespan with two doubles and three walks.

The Rays, meanwhile, have been clicking offensively the past handful of days, scoring 25 runs in four days. Wander Franco continues to stay hot, he’s 9-of-26 with one home run, four doubles and four RBIs  over the past seven days, while Manuel Margot is 7-for-21 the past week and Francisco Meija has one home run and five RBIs during the same stretch.

Meija may begin to start taking more time from Mike Zunino if he doesn’t start producing – the veteran catcher is just 1-for-25 to start the season.

X-factors to Watch

For the Rays, we’re going to watch one of the most explosive players in all of baseball in Randy Arozarena. Arozarena is hitting just .250 the past week (7-of-28), but he’s still been productive with five doubles.

On the other side, the question is if Alex Verdugo can say hot. The left-handed outfielder is 7-for-20 the last week and leads the team with two home runs and four RBIs.

How to Watch Boston Red Sox vs Tampa Bay Rays