Boston will try to be nasty hosts on Thursday when the Tampa Bay Rays pay a visit to Fenway Park.

John Lackey will take the mound for Boston, and he'll carry a 7-7 record into the contest. Jeremy Hellickson gets the ball for Tampa Bay; he's 9-3 so far this season.



View Tampa Bay vs Boston Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
Baseball odds makers, including Sportsbook, opened the Red Sox as -135 moneyline favorites in this matchup. Over under bettors saw the number open at 9 at shops such as Sportsbook.

Power Rankings:
The Odds Shark MLB Power Rankings have the Red Sox at No. 2 in the American League and the Rays at No. 3 in the American League heading into this contest.



How They Match Up:
Rating these teams in several key categories is important for handicappers and Boston has the American League's No. 2-rated offensive output, at 9.5 hits per game. The Rays average 8.9 hits per game, good for No. 5 on the American League list.

Boston owns the American League's No. 7 defense, allowing 4.2 men per game to cross the plate. That contrasts with Tampa Bay's American League No. 3-rated defense.

Last time out for Tampa Bay, they were a 5-1 Sportsbook as they battled the Red Sox on the road. Moneyline bettors who got the Rays at -108 were rewarded, while the 6 combined runs moved the game UNDER for totals bettors. The Rays enjoyed a 5-1 victory at the expense of the Red Sox on Wednesday, with David Price throwing 9 innings of 5-hit ball at Fenway Park.




Tampa Bay Rays Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 6-4
Before playing NY Yankees are 4-6
After playing Boston are 5-5
After a win are 8-2

Boston Red Sox Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 5-5
Before playing Baltimore are 4-6
After playing Tampa Bay are 5-5
After a loss are 6-4

A few Rays at Red Sox trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Tampa Bay's last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Tampa Bay's last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Tampa Bay's last 5 games when playing Boston
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Tampa Bay's last 5 games when playing on the road against Boston
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Boston's last 5 games when playing Tampa Bay
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Boston's last 5 games when playing at home against Tampa Bay
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Boston's last 11 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Boston's last 9 games


Next up:
Tampa Bay at NY Yankees, Friday, July 26
Boston at Baltimore, Friday, July 26