Game three of this AL East series sees the Rays (84-55, 46-24 home) and Red Sox (72-67, 36-34 away) facing off at Tropicana Field. The starting pitcher for the Rays will be Tyler Glasnow, while the Red Sox are turning to Nick Pivetta. Find out who I like to win in this Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox showdown.

BOSTON RED SOX VS TAMPA BAY RAYS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Tampa Bay Rays -168

This game will be played at Tropicana Field at 6:40 ET on Wednesday, September 6th.

WHY BET THE TAMPA BAY RAYS:

  • Over their previous five games as the underdog, the Red Sox are just 1-4 straight-up.
  • So far, the Rays are 8-2 against the Red Sox this season.
  • Tyler Glasnow has done a good job at avoiding the long-ball of late, having not given up a away-run in each of his past two starts.

BOSTON RED SOX HAVE BEEN GOOD AGAINST THE AL EAST

This season, the Red Sox are 72-67, putting them 4th in the AL East. On the road this season, Boston has been above .500 team at 36-34. Overall, they have gone 23-17-4 in their 44 series.

Boston’s Nick Pivetta has been impressive in 2023, boasting a 9-7 record and 4.49 ERA. On the road, his ERA is an impressive 3.20, while it rises to 4.98 when he pitches at home. His WHIP for the season is 1.20, and he has held opposing teams to a .208 batting average and .413 slugging percentage.

Nick Pivetta’s latest start was a short one, as he pitched three innings and allowed one run on two hits. Despite the brief outing, the Red Sox were still able to secure a 9-5 victory over the Royals, with Pivetta receiving a no-decision.

During their last five games, Boston is the 18th ranked offense in terms of batting average. In these games, they have hit a combined .240 and are averaging 6.2 runs per game. Across the entire season, the Red Sox are hitting .264 with an OBP of .330 while averaging 5 runs per contest. This figure puts them 7th in the league.

Triston Casas has been a key contributor to the Red Sox offense this season, boasting a .268 batting average and .501 slugging percentage. In the team’s last ten games, Casas has been on fire, leading Boston in hits with an impressive .435 average.

WILL THE TAMPA BAY RAYS TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS AT HOME?

The Rays enter today’s game with an overall record of 84-55 which includes going 39-33 against teams with above .500 records. As of today, they are 2nd in the AL East. Across their 44 series, Tampa Bay is 25-13-6 and have records of 38-31 and 46-24 on the road and at home, respectively.

Tyler Glasnow has taken the hill 16 times in 2021, amassing a 7-5 record. He’s currently on a two-game streak of not permitting a home run and his slugging percentage allowed sits at .327. Additionally, Glasnow has struck out 120 batters and his WHIP is 1.05.

Tyler Glasnow suffered a 3-2 loss in his last start against the Guardians, giving up three runs in seven innings of work.

The Rays’ offense comes into today’s game with a collective batting average of .259 and are averaging 5.3 runs per game for the season. Looking at their ten most recent games, Tampa Bay has gone deep 11 times, which is ranked 11th in that time. To date, the team’s OPS is .775 to go along with an on base percentage of .331.

Isaac Paredes has been a major contributor to the Rays’ offensive success in 2023, leading the team with 27 home runs and 86 RBIs. His slugging percentage of .490 is also impressive, highlighting his ability to generate power at the plate.