Both the Rays and Red Sox are 80-81 heading into Sunday's matchup, and the game will get started at 3:05 PM ET from Fenway Park in Boston, MA. Ryan Pepiot is starting for the Rays, while the Red Sox are going with Quinn Priester. Tampa Bay is currently on a two-game winning streak, and they are the slight money line favorite (-115). The Red Sox are 4th in the AL East.
As for the forecast for Sunday's game, it looks like there will be overcast clouds and temperatures in the mid-60s. The over/under line is currently at 8.5 runs, and the game can be seen on BSSUN.
Tampa Bay vs. Boston Matchup At A Glance
- Teams: Rays at Red Sox
- Where: Fenway Park Boston
- Date: Sunday, September 29th
- Betting Odds TB -115 | BOS -105 O/U 8.5
Rays vs Red Sox Last Game Recap
Tampa Bay cruised to a 7-2 win over the Red Sox in the most recent game of this series. The Rays had a huge 5th inning, scoring four of their seven runs. As for the Red Sox, they scored their only two runs in the 6th. Heading into the game, the Rays were the slight underdogs at +101.
Shane Baz started for the Rays and picked up the win, going six innings and giving up two earned runs. He finished the game with seven strikeouts but issued five walks. Kutter Crawford got the start for the Red Sox and took the loss, giving up six runs in just 4 1/3 innings of work.
At the plate, the Rays were led by Junior Caminero and Brandon Lowe, as they were the only two Rays hitters to have more than one hit. Caminero also homered and drove in three runs. Josh Lowe scored twice for Tampa Bay and drove in two runs.
Rays Preview
Currently, the Rays are 80-81 overall and trail the Yankees by 13 games in the AL East. They are 3rd in the division and have a 26-25 record against other AL East teams. Tampa Bay has won two straight games and leads the series vs. the Red Sox 2-0.
On the run line, the Rays are 84-77 this season, including a 47-33 mark on the road. They have covered the run line in three straight games and are 60-33 as underdogs. The average run margin in their wins is +2.7, while it is -3.4 in their losses.
Ryan Pepiot gets the start for the Rays today as he faces the Red Sox on the road. He has made 25 starts this season and has a record of 8-7 with a 3.64 ERA. Looking at his overall numbers, Pepiot has a WHIP of 1.14 and opponents are batting .205 this season. In his 25 starts, he has turned in nine quality starts and is averaging 9.79 strikeouts per nine innings. The right-hander's last outing came on September 24th, where he took the loss, giving up two earned runs in five innings of work. Before that, he had gone six straight outings without taking a loss.
For the season, the Rays are averaging just 3.7 runs per game, which is 29th in the league. They have been even worse in terms of power, as their 147 home runs is 25th in the league. As a team, they are batting just .230, which is 20th in the league. However, they do have three players with at least 18 homers, led by Christopher Morel and Brandon Lowe, who both have 21 homers.
Yandy Diaz comes into the game as the team's leading hitter, with a batting average of .281. He has also gone deep 14 times this season. Over his last seven games, Brandon Lowe has two homers and is hitting .276. Jonathan Aranda is also on a three-game hitting streak and has two homers in his last seven games.
Red Sox Preview
So far, the Red Sox have an over/under record of 25-17 in games with an 8.5 run total. Their games have averaged 9.3 runs per game this season, contributing to an overall over/under record of 79-74. Boston's run line record is 48-35 as underdogs and 28-50 as favorites, with an overall run line record of 76-85.
Boston is currently 4th in the AL East, 13 games behind the Yankees. They have lost three straight games, including the first two games of this series vs. the Rays. The Red Sox's overall record this season is 80-81, and they have a 24-27 record within the division.
Right-hander Quinn Priester is starting for the Red Sox today and comes into the game with a record of 2-6 and an ERA of 5.04. Priester has made 10 appearances this season and has pitched out of the bullpen for his last four outings. In his most recent outing, he took the loss, giving up five earned runs in four innings of work. Priester has given up at least one homer in three of his last four outings. The last time he pitched, he gave up a homer to the Diamondbacks. Priester has a WHIP of 1.46 this season.
For the season, the Red Sox are averaging 4.6 runs per game, which is 9th in the league. They have been a very good home run hitting team this season, as their 194 home runs is 9th in the league. As a team, Boston is batting .252 and have the league's best BABIP at .31. One area they have struggled in is strikeouts, as they are 28th in the league in this category.
Jarren Duran has been swinging a hot bat of late, going 10/33 in his last eight games. For the season, he is batting .285 and is 3rd on the team with 21 home runs. Rafael Devers leads the team with 83 RBIs and is 2nd on the team with 28 homers. Tyler O'Neill has also been a big power threat, as he is 12th in the league with 31 homers.
Rays vs. Red Sox Prediction: Red Sox ML -105
With the Red Sox at -105 on the money line, that is the direction we recommend going in this one. We actually have the Red Sox winning this game by a score of 5-4, giving you a chance to also look at the over, as the line is sitting at 8.5 runs.
Looking at the starting pitchers, Quinn Priester is projected to finish with just four strikeouts, which is the second-worst among all starters today. As for Ryan Pepiot, he is projected to finish with six strikeouts, which is right in the middle of the pack.
