Rays vs. Red Sox Prediction
Can the Boston Red Sox complete a smooth sweep of the Tampa Bay Rays when these two wrap up things at 1:35PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, the Red Sox are favored at home this afternoon, as Boston is getting odds of -145 to win, while the Rays are listed with a money line of +135 to win. The over/under total for the contest is set at 9 runs.
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Today’s pitching matchup features Alex Cobb (10-9, 3.64 ERA) on the mound for the Rays to face Rick Porcello (9-16, 4.67) of the Red Sox. Porcello has had a rough year. He is coming off allowing seven runs over 5.1 innings against the Blue Jays. He has 163 strikeouts on the season with 39 walks and a 1.40 WHIP. Cobb has had a good few weeks, allowing five runs total over his last four starts. Cobb has 114 strikeouts in 2017 with 40 walks and a 1.20 WHIP.
The Red Sox opened this weekend series with a 9-3 win over Tampa Bay and then followed it up with a 9-0 win on Saturday. Boston is now 81-61 overall and 44-26 at home while Tampa Bay is 70-73 overall and 34-39 on the road.
Chris Sale had another strong start, pitching six scoreless innings while striking out eight to earn his 16th win of the year for Boston. Matt Andriese struggled big time, allowing eight runs in just 1.2 innings of work to fall to 5-3 on the year. Dustin Pedroia was the lone Boston player to homer, as he finished with two hits and two RBI. Andrew Benintendi added three hits and three RBI while Mitch Moreland also drove in three runs.
Porcello hasn’t been very strong against Tampa Bay this season, going 1-3 in four starts with a 5.18 ERA. Porcello has been very touch-and-go and it’s tough to count on him to lead a team to a win. Cobb has been competitive against Boston, posting a 3.32 ERA over three starts. Sweeps also haven’t been Boston’s thing most of the year. The Red Sox have won series and did it consistently. They have this weekend series already, so they could take their foot off the gas today.
MLB DAILY PREDICTION: TAMPA BAY RAYS +135