Baseball bettors look for value at Tropicana Field on Saturday as host Tampa Bay battles the Boston Red Sox in baseball odds action.

Tampa Bay hands the ball to starter James Shields in this one and he'll try to improve on his 8-7 mark on the year. Boston counters with John Lackey, who will try to quiet the fans and the Rays bats at the same time.



View Boston vs Tampa Bay Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
If you're backing the visitors in this one, you'll find the Red Sox listed as underdogs of +-145 at most sportsbooks. Total bettors saw the number open in the area of 8.5, depending on the book.

Power Rankings:
According to new MLB Power Rankings here, it's the American League No. 8-ranked Rays and the American League No. 1-rated Red Sox in this matchup.



How They Match Up:
Rating these teams in several key categories is important for handicappers and Tampa Bay has the American League's No. 8-rated offensive output, at 8.2 hits per game. The Red Sox average 9.7 hits per game, good for No. 1 on the American League list.

Tampa Bay owns the American League's No. 4 defense, allowing 3.8 men per game to cross the plate. That contrasts with Boston's American League No. 7-rated defense.

Boston was a 9-6 loser in its last match on the road against the Rays. They lost as +145 underdogs, while the total score of 15 made winners of OVER bettors. Boston didn't get the job done in their last match, falling 9-6 to Tampa Bay on Friday at Tropicana Field.




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

Tampa Bay Rays Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 6-4
Before playing Boston are 4-6
After playing Boston are 7-3
After a win are 5-5

A few Red Sox at Rays trends to consider:
Boston is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Boston's last 7 games when playing on the road against Tampa Bay
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Boston's last 5 games
Boston is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Tampa Bay's last 7 games when playing at home against Boston
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Tampa Bay's last 5 games when playing Boston
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Tampa Bay's last 14 games at home
Tampa Bay is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games at home


Next up:
Boston at Tampa Bay, Sunday, July 17