Rays vs Red Sox Picks & Odds: Boston Favored With Rookie On The Mound

The Boston Red Sox (45-36) and Tampa Bay Rays (44-37) do battle on Wednesday at Fenway Park in the final meeting of a three-game set. The Red Sox are 1-4 in their last five games while the Rays are 4-1 in their last five. Find out which club has the upper hand in our Rays vs Red Sox prediction.

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Sportsbook Odds

The Red Sox opened as the favorite at -110 the moneyline with the Rays getting +100 on the road. The total was set at 9.5 runs with the OVER going 16-4 in the last 20 meetings between the clubs at Fenway Park. Boston is 5-1 in its last six home contests, suggesting the hosts may be able to turn things around in our Rays vs Red Sox prediction.

Starting Pitchers 

Brayan Bello (0-0) will make his first career major league start for the Red Sox on Wednesday. The right-hander, who is considered Boston’s best arm in the system, is 6-2 with Triple-A Worcester this season, posting a 2.81 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP through nine appearances and 51.1 innings.

On the other side, veteran Corey Kluber (3-5) gets the call for his 16th start of the year. Kluber struggled last time out as he lasted just three innings against the Toronto Blue Jays on July 1, surrendering seven hits and five earned runs in the loss. The right-hander has a 3.91 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP over 76 innings of work.

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Bogaerts Snaps Cold Streak In Red Sox Loss

After winning Monday’s series opener, the Red Sox fell 8-4 to the Rays on Tuesday in the second meeting of their set. Xander Bogaerts led the way offensively with a two-run homer in the first and another RBI late in the game, but Tampa Bay ran away with the contest after putting up four runs in the sixth to take a commanding lead. It was a rough night for starter Nick Pivetta, who gave up eight hits and seven earned runs over 5.2 innings in the loss.

Bogaerts’ homer snapped a 14-game skid without an RBI and a 25-game streak without a home run. Meanwhile, Trevor Story, who had a solo shot of his own, has now homered in two straight contests with three home runs and six RBI over his last nine outings.

Big Night For Kiermaier As Rays Even Series

The Rays evened up the series on Tuesday thanks to a big offensive performance from Kevin Kiermaier. The center fielder opened the scoring with a three-run double in the first before knocking in another RBI in the sixth. Tampa Bay added three more runs in the inning and one more in the seventh to seal the win.
After closing out June on a four-game skid, Tampa Bay has turned the corner in July with a 4-1 record over its last five games. The Rays are averaging 6.4 runs per game over that span with their only loss coming in a 4-0 defeat to the Red Sox in the series opener on Monday. 

Rays vs Red Sox Pick & Insights

Rays: Keys To Victory

The Rays have been swinging hot bats of late and there’s no reason to think that trend will change against a rookie pitcher on the mound for the Red Sox. Kluber has had struggles of his own this season, though, so it could be a high-scoring contest.

Red Sox: Keys To Victory

Boston will be asking a lot of Bello in his first major league start, but the Red Sox will likely need the rookie to be at least serviceable to keep this one close against a surging Rays squad. On the plus side, the Red Sox boast the sixth-best offense in the majors at 4.72 runs per game this season, so they have the firepower to keep up with the Rays.

MLB Computer Pick: Rays +112 ML

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