Red Sox vs Rays Game 1 Odds, Betting Lines, and Probable Pitchers

• It will be an AL East showdown in the ALDS with the Red Sox taking on the Rays in Game 1 on Thursday
• Tampa is a -180 home favorite with Shane McClanahan on the mound
• Read on for the odds, preview, and prediction

The stage is set. The Boston Red Sox will have a date with the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League Division Series, with Game 1 scheduled for Thursday. The first pitch at Tropicana Field is at 8:07 PM ET. The Red Sox have yet to name their starter, while the Rays turn to Shane McClanahan, who was one of their better arms this season.

Boston was able to beat the Yankees in the AL Wild Card Game on Tuesday night at Fenway behind a dominant performance from Nathan Eovaldi in a 6-2 victory. Tampa meanwhile, won the AL East for the second straight year, winning 100 games in 2021.

Red Sox vs Rays Game 1 Odds

Odds as of October 5th at DraftKings.

Tampa is a -180 home favorite in Game 1 and they also won the season series against Boston, going 11-8.

Probable Pitchers

The Rays hand the ball to McClanahan in the series opener after he put up some very impressive numbers in the regular season. The southpaw went 10-6 with a 3.43 ERA in 25 starts for Tampa, striking out 141 hitters in 123.1 innings. His command was also immaculate, walking only 37 hitters all year. McClanahan finished the campaign on a strong note, posting a 2.70 ERA in the month of September. In fact, he allowed just three earned runs in his final four outings.

“We call it Troptober because it’s a different breed. I was here as a fan two years ago. It was awesome.”

-Shane McClanahan, Rays game 1 ALDS starter on Thursday’s environment pic.twitter.com/wAVf9Ag9TM

— Tricia Whitaker (@TriciaWhitaker) October 6, 2021

There aren’t many lineups that he would be more familiar with, either. The 24-year-old faced Boston three times in 2021, compiling a 2.81 ERA while going 1-1. The playoffs are a whole different beast and this will be his first time pitching in October after briefly making his MLB debut in 2020, but McClanahan does pitch well against the Red Sox which is a great sign heading into Thursday.

Batting Average vs Starting Pitchers

Tampa Bay is coming off another magnificent season, finishing with the third-best record in the Majors behind only the Giants and Dodgers. Although they lost Tyler Glasnow to an injury, their pitching staff really held their own, posting a 3.67 team ERA, which ranked fourth in the big leagues.

The stage is set.#RaysUp pic.twitter.com/WlsEO7Dhu8

— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) October 6, 2021

Offensively, the Rays were getting it done all year, scoring a league-best 5.3 runs per game and clubbing a mind-boggling 222 homers. This club got a taste of the World Series in the condensed 2020 season and after falling short, you better believe Tampa will be poised to chase another ring.

Boston continued their dominance of the Yanks in the Wild Card Game in a tremendous performance at Fenway. The Red Sox touched up Gerrit Cole and chased him after only two innings after Xander Bogaerts and Kyle Schwarber both left the yard. The Rays will be an extremely tough task for Alex Cora’s squad, but with the bats coming to play on Tuesday, the hope is they can roll into the series opener and do some damage on the road.

YOUR BOSTON RED SOX ARE ALDS-BOUND! pic.twitter.com/5aPRXKNPsY

— Red Sox (@RedSox) October 6, 2021

Red Sox vs Rays Prediction

There’s definitely a sense of unpredictability considering that we don’t know who will take the mound for Boston. It will likely be Chris Sale, Eduardo Rodriguez, or Nick Pivetta, though. However, given McLanahan’s success against the Red Sox, I like Tampa here to grab a victory behind an electric crowd at Tropicana, no matter who starts for the visitors. The bats will come to play either way for the Rays.

Pick: Tampa Bay Rays moneyline (-180)

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