Red Sox vs Rays Best Pitcher and Hitter Props to Bet for Game 2 Including Total Bases and Strikeouts
By Chris Amberley in MLB Baseball
Published:
- The Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays resume their AL Division Series tonight in Tampa
- Only two teams struck out more often than Tampa Bay in 2021
- See the best hitter and pitcher props to bet in Game 2
The Tampa Bay Rays took Game 1 of the ALDS in convincing fashion, shutting out the Boston Red Sox 5-0 at Tropicana Field. Tampa Bay will look to take a 2-0 series stranglehold tonight (7:02 pm ET), but to do so they’ll have get to seven-time All-Star Chris Sale.
The lefty (5-1, 3.16 ERA, 1.34 WHIP) will take the ball for Boston, while the Rays will counter with right-handed rookie Shane Baz (2-0, 2.03 ERA, 0.68 WHIP).
The table below shows the main batter and pitcher props for Game 2 tonight, followed by a couple bets to target.
Red Sox vs Rays Game 2 Pitcher and Hitter Props
| Player | Home Run | Hits | RBI | Total Bases | Pitcher Strikeouts | Home Runs Allowed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enrique Hernandez (BOS) | 0.5 (+500o/-900u) | 0.5 (-160o/+120u) | 0.5 (+275o/-400u) | 1.5 (+160o/-215u) | N/A | N/A |
| Hunter Renfroe (BOS) | 0.5 (+400o/-650u) | 0.5 (-140o/+105u) | 0.5 (+230o/-330u) | 1.5 (+170o/-235u) | N/A | N/A |
| J.D. Martinez (BOS) | 0.5 (+450o/-750u) | 0.5 (-165o/+125u) | 0.5 (+215o/-300u) | 1.5 (+155o/-210u) | N/A | N/A |
| Ji-Man Choi (TB) | 0.5 (+750o/-2000u) | 0.5 (-120o/-110u) | 0.5 (+300o/-450u) | 1.5 (+240o/-350u) | N/A | N/A |
| Kyle Schwarber (BOS) | 0.5 (+250o/-360u) | 0.5 (-165o/+125u) | 0.5 (+180o/-250u) | 1.5 (+130o/-170u) | N/A | N/A |
| Manuel Margot (TB) | 0.5 (+750o/-2000u) | 0.5 (-220o/+165u) | 0.5 (+275o/-400u) | 1.5 (+140o/-190u) | N/A | N/A |
| Nelson Cruz (TB) | 0.5 (+320o/-500u) | 0.5 (-200o/+150u) | 0.5 (+165o/-220u) | 1.5 (+130o/-170u) | N/A | N/A |
| Rafael Devers (BOS) | 0.5 (+330o/-525u) | 0.5 (-200o/+150u) | 0.5 (+165o/-220u) | 1.5 (+120o/-160u) | N/A | N/A |
| Randy Arozarena (TB) | 0.5 (+450o/-750u) | 0.5 (-190o/+140u) | 0.5 (+200o/-280u) | 1.5 (+145o/-195u) | N/A | N/A |
| Wander Franco (TB) | 0.5 (+650o/-1400u) | 0.5 (-200o/+150u) | 0.5 (+230o/-330u) | 1.5 (+145o/-195u) | N/A | N/A |
| Xander Bogaerts (BOS) | 0.5 (+450o/-750u) | 0.5 (-220o/+165u) | 0.5 (+215o/-300u) | 1.5 (+125o/-170u) | N/A | N/A |
| Yandy Diaz (TB) | O 0.5 (+550o/-1100u) | 0.5 (-250o/+180u) | 0.5 (+250o/-360u) | 1.5 (+125o/-165u) | N/A | N/A |
| Chris Sale (BOS) | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 6.5 (-115o/-115u) | 0.5 (-120o/-110u) |
| Shane Baz (TB) | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 5.5 (-125o/-105u) | 0.5 (-160o/+120u) |
Odds as of October 8th at DraftKings.
Sale Set-Up For Big Strikeout Numbers
First up on our betting card is over 6.5 strikeouts for Sale. The 32-year-old eclipsed that number in two of his final three starts, and proved on Sunday he doesn’t need to go deep into the game to post big strikeout totals. Against the Nationals, he fanned seven batters in just 2.1 innings, and owns a career 11.1 K/9 rate.
Chris Sale, K'ing the Side. 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/5qqOvm7uUV
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) October 3, 2021
He fanned six Tampa Bay hitters in his previous start against them last month, despite pitching just 3.2 innings. Sale has racked up 36 strikeouts in 24 career playoff innings, and has a lifetime 12.8 K/9 rate against the Rays.
Chris Sale: “The grit and the grind, that’s why I’m here for. It doesn’t matter if they need the first 21 outs or the last 6, I’ll be ready for it.”
— Boston Strong (@BostonStrong_34) October 7, 2021
Tampa Bay may be one of the deepest lineups in baseball, but they’re also incredibly strikeout prone. Only two teams whiffed more often than the Rays this season, and Tampa boasts six regulars who struck out at least 100 times during the regular season. Randy Arozarena led that group with 170 strikeouts in 142 games, and has fanned four times in five career at-bats versus Sale.
Pick: Sale over 6.5 strikeouts (-115); risk 1.0 unit
Bogaerts Beats Up Tampa Bay Pitching
Our next target is over 1.5 total bases for Xander Bogaerts. The Red Sox shortstop smacked two hits in the series opener and enters play tonight riding a five-game hitting streak.
XANDER BOGAERTS PUTS THE RED SOX ON TOP 💥 pic.twitter.com/aPmYrfnqMm
— ESPN (@espn) October 6, 2021
He posted the second highest WAR and OBP of his career in 2021, and absolutely mashed versus Rays pitching. Bogaerts was 21-for-49 (.429) against Tampa Bay hurlers, with two home runs and 10 RBI. He’s never faced Baz, but he did find more success versus righties than lefties this season.
Bogaerts hit .301 versus right-handed pitching, boasting a significantly higher slugging percentage and OPS than against southpaws.
Pick: Xander Bogaerts Over 1.5 Total Bases (+125)
Sports Writer
As SBD's resident Swiss Army Knife, Chris covers virtually every sport including NFL, PGA, NBA, MLB, NCAAB, NCAAF and the Olympics. A true grinder, he'd rather pick off small edges in the player props market than swing for the fences with a 5-leg parlay.
