Red Sox vs Rays Picks and Odds – Aug 5
- The Tampa Bay Rays are -150 favorites over the Boston Red Sox in a game that features a total of 8.5
- Ryan Yarbrough (0-1, 1.54 ERA) will start for Tampa, while Boston will counter with Martin Perez (1-1, 5.06 ERA)
- Read below for a preview and betting prediction for the game
AL East rivals collide in Tampa on Wednesday at 6:40 pm EST, as the Rays and Boston Red Sox play the final game of their mini two-game set. Tampa took the opener 5-1 as -140 favorites, and are once again favored in this contest.
Red Sox vs Rays Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Runline | Total at FanDuel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Red Sox | +130 | +1.5 (-146) | Over 8.5 (-106) |
| Tampa Bay Rays | -150 | -1.5 (+124) | Under 8.5 (-114) |
Odds taken Aug. 5th.
The home team is currently sporting a moneyline price of -150 in the Red Sox vs Rays odds and the game features a total of 8.5. Boston enters play losers of four straight, while Tampa’s victory on Tuesday snapped a five-game losing streak.
Red Sox Slumping at the Plate
A big reason for the Red Sox recent slump has been their inability to score runs. Boston has crossed the plate two times or less in three of four, and have been outscored by 13 runs during its recent skid. The top of the order has been extremely disappointing so far, as they’ve got little production from their number one, two and three hitters.
I haven’t really enjoyed watching Red Sox baseball this year.
— Jared Carrabis (@Jared_Carrabis) August 5, 2020
Lead-off man Andrew Benintendi has just two hits in 29 at-bats, number two hitter Rafael Devers is rocking a .195 average and number three hitter J.D. Martinez has lost his pop. Martinez smashed a team-high 36 home runs while batting .304 in 2019, but this season has yet to homer and is hitting just .250.
Red Sox Career Stats vs Yarbrough
| Player | AB | H | HR | RBI | K | AVG. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andrew Benintendi | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | .000 |
| Rafael Devers | 11 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 1 | .364 |
| J.D. Martinez | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Xander Bogaerts | 16 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .250 |
| Christian Vazquez | 13 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 5 | .385 |
| Mitch Moreland | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .000 |
| Alex Verdugo | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Kevin Pillar | 9 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .222 |
| Jose Peraza | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
That’s a bad sign with a matchup versus Tampa’s Ryan Yarbrough on deck. The 28-year-old has been excellent in two starts this year, allowing just two runs and seven hits in 11.2 innings.
I really like Ryan Yarbrough's changeup pic.twitter.com/v6Nw6tlEQ4
— Pitcher List (@PitcherList) July 25, 2020
Yarborough is 3-1 in four career starts versus Boston, and the Red Sox are hitting just .228 in five games away from Fenway Park this season.
Tampa is a Different Team at Home
Boston isn’t the only team struggling offensively, as Tampa is hitting just .217 this season. Prior to Tuesday, the Rays hadn’t scored more than four runs in a game in over a week, but it’s important to note that each of those contests were on the road. The Rays are hitting .51 points higher at home than on the road this season and are averaging 4 more runs per outing.
(B)ring ‘em in, Hunter! pic.twitter.com/HJ6xdb4Mes
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) August 5, 2020
On Wednesday they’ll face Martin Perez, a pitcher they’ve fared very well against in the past. Perez is 0-4 in eight career starts versus the Rays, posting an ugly 6.75 ERA and 1.60 WHIP.
Rays Career Stats vs Perez
| Player | AB | H | HR | RBI | K | AVG. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austin Meadows | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | .250 |
| Brandon Lowe | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | .333 |
| Yandy Diaz | 9 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .222 |
| Ji-Man Choi | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 |
| Yoshitomo Tsutsugo | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Joey Wendle | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 |
| Hunter Renfroe | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Kevin Kiermaier | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .125 |
| Michael Perez | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
The lefty did win his last outing, but hasn’t make it out of the sixth inning in either of his two starts. Once again he struggled with his control, issuing four walks. He’s allowed 15 baserunners in 10.2 innings this season and surrendered five runs to Baltimore in his season debut.
Roll with the Rays
The Rays won 12 of 19 games versus the Red Sox in 2019, and are in good shape to pick up another W on Wednesday. They have a favorable matchup against Perez and Boston’s offense has been miserable away from home.
The Boston Red Sox are not a good baseball team, per source.
— Evan Daniel (@mrevandaniel) July 29, 2020
The Red Sox have won just three times in 11 games this season, but only one of those victories came in a game not started by Nathan Eovaldi.
Pick: Tampa Bay Rays moneyline (-150)
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.
