Tampa Bay will try to be nasty hosts on Friday when the Boston Red Sox pay a visit to Tropicana Field.

John Lackey, with a record of 12-11 on the season, gets the ball for the Red Sox, while the Rays trot Wade Davis to the mound in this one. He is 9-8 so far in 2011.



View Boston vs Tampa Bay Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
On the Sportsbook MLB line for this matchup, Tampa Bay sat as -110 favorites. The total was set at 10.

Power Rankings:
The Rays sit at No. 7 in the American League in the current MLB power poll here at Odds Shark, while the Red Sox sit at an American League No. 3 on the same chart.



How They Match Up:
On offense, it's a battle between Tampa Bay and its American League No. 7-rated batting order, averaging 4.2 runs per nine innings, against the American League's No. 2 lineup of the Red Sox at 5.4 runs per outing.

Defensively, Boston features the American League's No. 2-rated defense on the road, allowing 3.7 runs per game. Tampa Bay, meanwhile, comes in at No. 12 in the American League at home, scoring 3.6 runs per game.

Boston lost its last outing, a 7-4 result against the Blue Jays on September 8. Bettors who backed the Blue Jays at -138 on the moneyline won on the day, and the total score (11) sent OVER bettors to the payout window. The Red Sox were saddled with a loss last time out in Andrew Miller's start, as they lost 7-4 against Toronto on Thursday at Rogers Centre.

Tampa Bay was a 5-4 Sportsbook in its last match at home against the Rangers. They won as -134 favorites, while the total score of 9 made Sportsbooks of OVER bettors. Tampa Bay needed extra innings to get the job done against the Rangers on Wednesday as the Rays defeated them 5-4 at Tropicana Field.


Boston Red Sox Trends:
When playing on Friday are 7-3
Before playing Tampa Bay are 5-5
After playing Toronto are 7-3
After a loss are 7-3

Tampa Bay Rays Trends:
When playing on Friday are 5-5
Before playing Boston are 4-6
After playing Texas are 4-6
After a win are 5-5

A few Red Sox at Rays trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Boston's last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Boston's last 5 games when playing Tampa Bay
Boston is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Tampa Bay
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Boston's last 9 games when playing on the road against Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
Tampa Bay is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Tampa Bay's last 5 games when playing Boston
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Tampa Bay's last 9 games when playing at home against Boston


Next up:
Boston at Tampa Bay, Saturday, September 10