Rays vs. Red Sox Odds, Picks & Prediction — Tuesday, September 7th
It’s still a few more days until you can bet on the Buccaneers vs. Cowboys, but Tampa fans go stay busy with Rays vs. Red Sox odds Tuesday, September 7th. MLB betting analyst Nick Galaida previews the matchup and delivers his picks for the AL East showdown.
Rays vs. Red Sox Odds
| Rays Odds | -110 |
| Red Sox Odds | -104 |
| Over/Under | 9.5 |
| Date | Tuesday, Sept. 7 |
| Time | 7:10 pm ET |
| TV | NESN |
| Odds accurate as of Tuesday at Caesars | |
| Click Here to Claim Your $5,000 Risk-Free Bet at Caesars Sportsbook! | |
On Tuesday evening, the Boston Red Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays will continue a three-game set at Fenway Park. Tampa Bay won a wild 11-10 affair yesterday afternoon in extra innings. Tonight, they will send Drew Rasmussen to the mound as they go for their second consecutive victory. Boston will counter with Eduardo Rodriguez. Oddsmakers are expecting a tightly-contested affair between these two clubs, pricing this matchup as a pick’em on the money line.
Let’s take a deeper look at the matchup to see where bettors can find value at sportsbooks in this contest.
Tampa Bay Rays
In 56.0 innings of work in 2021, Rasmussen has compiled a 3.38 ERA, 3.63 xERA, and a 3.08 FIP. However, he has only gotten better as the season has progressed—evident by his 1.95 ERA and 2.58 FIP in his last 32.1 innings pitched. Since the Rays transitioned him into the starting rotation, he has remained excellent with a 1.59 ERA and a 2.34 FIP in four starts. In that span, he is only striking-out 20.6 percent of opposing batters, but a strong command of the strike-zone and an incredible 2.2 percent barrel-rate has helped him limit traffic on the bases. This will be the third time in less than a month that he will face the Red Sox lineup, but he has proven himself effective against this offense multiple times and thus, should be able to turn in another strong outing this evening.
Tampa Bay traded for Nelson Cruz and Jordan Luplow at the trade deadline to try and improve their abysmal numbers against left-handed pitching. These additions have certainly helped, but this lineup has still struggled against southpaws. In their last two games facing Rodriguez, the Rays have scored only two runs in 11.1 innings while he has been on the mound. Bettors should expect more of the same in this one.
The biggest concern for the Rays this evening is what will happen after Rasmussen leaves the game. J.P. Feyereisen, David Robertson, Adam Conley, and J.T. Chargois have all thrown in back-to-back games. Shawn Armstrong and Collin McHugh both tossed 38 pitches in yesterday’s victory. The Rays could have a number of relief arms unavailable or dealing with significant fatigue if they do find their way into action tonight.
Boston Red Sox
Through 26 turns in the rotation in 2021, Rodriguez has a 4.88 ERA, 3.58 xERA, and a 3.41 FIP. He has been victimized by poor fortune on balls in play all year, despite the fact that he ranks in the 89th percentile in average exit-velocity and the 80th percentile in hard-hit rate. Since the beginning of August, Rodriguez’s luck has begun to even itself out. In his last six trips to the mound, he has been outstanding with a 2.73 ERA and a 3.23 FIP. He is capable of another strong performance this evening against a Tampa Bay lineup that he has dominated this season.
Despite missing two of their best hitters, Xander Bogaerts and Enrique Hernandez, Boston’s offense has continued to hit the ball extremely well in recent weeks. Over the last 14 days, this lineup ranks first in OPS, second in ISO, and third in walk-rate. Rasmussen has held this offense to only two runs in eight innings in his last two appearances against them, but Boston experienced a very low BABIP in those two games. Better luck on balls in play could lead to quite a few run-scoring opportunities this evening for the Red Sox.
Similar to the Rays, Boston has usage concerns entering play tonight. The Red Sox used six relief arms yesterday, and have four bullpen arms that have thrown in at least two of the last three days. Matt Barnes remains on the COVID-IL.
Pick
Considering the fatigue concerns in the late innings for both of these teams, it could make more sense to cut this game in half and play the first five innings. Rodriguez has been excellent against a Tampa Bay lineup that struggles against left-handed pitching. Rasmussen has been more lucky than good in his last two starts against the Red Sox. At a pick’em price, bettors should consider a play on Boston here to lead after the first five frames.
PICK: Red Sox F5 (-110)
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