Tropicana Field hosts an MLB battle between the Tampa Bay Rays and the visiting Boston Red Sox on Wednesday.

Daisuke Matsuzaka, with a record of 1-5 on the season, gets the ball for the Red Sox, while the Rays trot Chris Archer to the mound in this one. He is 0-2 so far in 2012.



View Boston vs Tampa Bay Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
If you're going with the Rays in this one, they're listed as moneyline favorites of -175 on most baseball betting menus for Monday's contest.

Power Rankings:
The MLB Power Rankings at Odds Shark show the American League's No. 8-rated Red Sox taking on the American League's No. 4-rated Rays in this contest.



How They Match Up:
Rating these teams in several key categories is important for handicappers and Tampa Bay has the American League's No. 12-rated offensive output, at 7.9 hits per game. The Red Sox average 9.2 hits per game, good for No. 4 on the American League list.

Comparing defensive stats, Boston owns the American League's No. 8-rated road mark, allowing 4.3 runs per game on the highway. Tampa Bay, on the other hand, rates No. 13 in scoring at home.

Boston won its last outing, a 7-5 result against the Rays on September 18. Bettors who backed the Red Sox at +154 on the moneyline won on the day, and the total score (12) sent OVER bettors to the payout window. The Red Sox grabbed a win last time out, defeating Jeremy Hellickson and the Rays 7-5 on Tuesday at Tropicana Field.




Boston Red Sox Trends:
When playing on Wednesday are 7-3
Before playing Tampa Bay are 5-5
After playing Tampa Bay are 6-4
After a win are 3-7

Tampa Bay Rays Trends:
When playing on Wednesday are 9-1
Before playing Boston are 6-4
After playing Boston are 2-8
After a loss are 4-6

A few Red Sox at Rays trends to consider:
Boston is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Tampa Bay
Boston is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
Boston is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Boston is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Tampa Bay
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Tampa Bay's last 5 games at home
Tampa Bay is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games at home
Tampa Bay is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Boston
Tampa Bay is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Boston


Next up:
Boston at Tampa Bay, Thursday, September 20