Red Sox vs Rays Odds, Picks, and Probable Pitchers (August 31)

• The Red Sox and Rays continue a four-game set on Tuesday
• Tampa is 43-23 at Tropicana Field this season
• Find the odds, analysis, and prediction, below

Following a game-one loss on Monday night, the Boston Red Sox (75-59,34-33 away) battle it out with AL East rivals the Tampa Bay Rays (84-48, 43-23 home) again on Tuesday. The first pitch is scheduled for 7:10 PM ET at Tropicana Field. Tampa rolled to a convincing 6-1 victory in the series opener behind a fine outing from Luis Patino. The Rays have now won eight of the last nine meetings with Boston.

The Red Sox have yet to announce their starting pitcher, while Ryan Yarbrough gets the ball for Tampa.

Red Sox vs Rays Odds

Odds as of August 30th at DraftKings.

Probable Pitchers

Yarbrough makes his 19th start of the year on Tuesday as he aims to turn around his recent struggles. The lefty has a 5.15 ERA in his previous seven appearances and has compiled a 4.57 ERA overall. However, the 29-year-old was rather effective last Wednesday, tossing four frames against the Phillies while allowing just two runs. The start before that, Yarbrough went five innings against Baltimore and didn’t surrender a single run.

But, he has been absolutely lit up by Boston this season. In three games, he has a 12.00 ERA. The Red Sox have enjoyed success against Yarbrough consistently, with his career 6.99 ERA reflecting that. The likes of Xander Bogaerts, J.D. Martinez, and Alex Verdugo are all hitting well over .400 off the southpaw. Yarbrough also pitches a lot better on the road. With that being said, this is going to be a tough start for him.

Batting Average vs Starting Pitchers

The Red Sox have struggled immensely since the All-Star break and now sit just two games ahead of the Oakland Athletics for the final Wild Card spot in the American League. Boston is swinging in relatively well in the second half. The real problem has been their pitching, with the staff posting a 4.80 ERA.

The lead called.
J.D. answered. pic.twitter.com/uOXJSTnwDO

— Red Sox (@RedSox) August 28, 2021

Monday was a perfect example of the Red Sox failing to give their starter run support, though. Nick Pivetta gave up only four earned runs across five innings in a respectable outing, but their offense managed to score just once. However, August has actually been a solid month for Alex Cora’s squad, batting .271 as a lineup.

Tampa is one of the hottest teams in baseball right now. They’re winners of eight straight and have gone 9-1 in their last 10 games. The Rays currently have a 6.5 game lead over the New York Yankees, who just enjoyed a 13-game winning streak themselves.

Streaking in a few more runs pic.twitter.com/AOjnsZaInF

— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) August 31, 2021

While Tampa’s arms have been reliable in 2021, it’s been their offense that’s really carried the load. Kevin Cash’s team is scoring an MLB-best 5.4 runs per game and has also slugged 177 homers, which is seventh in the Majors. The Rays thrive at home, especially on the mound, posting a 2.89 ERA.

Red Sox vs Rays Prediction

Although we don’t know who is going to take the mound for Boston, Yarbrough’s track record is horrendous against the Red Sox. For that reason alone, they’re a good bet to take game two of this series.

Pick: Boston Red Sox moneyline (+115)