When you have every MLB team playing 162 games, there are going to be a few meaningless games along the way, particularly for those teams with no shot at a playoff spot. It’s tough to qualify any game as meaningless for the teams in the hunt to win the division, though, as the loses that they take in the early part of the season can come back to haunt them later in the year. Right now, the AL East has turned into a 2-horse race between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees, with each team seemingly taking turns to sit on top. which is why the Red Sox come on top of the MLB Spread for Thursday Night.
It’s easy to get up for those bigger games and series, but it’s often what the contenders do against the lesser lights that decides where they will end up at the end of the regular season. The Red Sox took the first two games of this series against the Tampa Bay Rays, and once again, they are the MLB Odds favorite to win tonight.
It’s a little surprising that they have had any success at all this year, especially when you consider their stats in both hitting and pitching, both of which are way down the league. It will be Blake Snell (5-3, 3.07 ERA) who starts for the Rays.
How to Bet Red Sox vs. Rays MLB Spread & Expert Pick
Price dealt at the Trop. 👊 pic.twitter.com/ltdyP1QRoW
— Red Sox (@RedSox) 24 de mayo de 2018
- When: Thursday, May 24 at 7:10 PM EST
- Where: Tropicana Field, Tampa Bay
- Starting Pitchers: Rick Porcello vs. Blake Snell
- TV: NESN / MLBN
- Radio: Boston WEEI 93.7 / Tampa Bay 95.3 FM
- Live Stream: MLB.tv
- MLB Spread: Boston Red Sox -140 (Over/Under at 7)
MLB 2018 WORLD SERIES ODDS TO WIN
Recent Head to Head (Last 10 Games)
- Runs: Boston Red Sox 4.30 / Tampa Bay Lightning 3.50
- Hits: Boston Red Sox 8.50 / Tampa Bay Lightning 7.70
- Walks: Boston Red Sox 3.80 / Tampa Bay Lightning 3.60
- Strike Outs: Boston Red Sox 6.70 / Tampa Bay Lightning 8.80
Why bet on the Boston Red Sox?
The Boston Red Sox are rolling again, and are on a modest 3-game winning streak as of Tuesday night. That run has now led them to 5 wins in their last 6 games, all of which have come at the expense of division foes. Despite this great run of form, which hasn’t really let up all year, they still find themselves a half game back of the New York Yankees. The Red Sox have a tough series against the surprising Atlanta Braves after this one, so they will want to continue to make hay against the struggling Rays. They certainly got things off to a good start with a 4-2 win in the opening game of this series, which takes the Red Sox to an impressive 8-3 record against Tampa this season. Rick Porcello (6-1, 3.39 ERA) will start for Boston and is unbeaten in 3 starts versus the Rays this season.Team Statistics
Offense- Runs: 5.33
- Hits: 9.47
- Walks: 3.12
- Strike Outs: 7.76
- Runs: 3.69
- Hits: 7.84
- Walks: 2.90
- Strike Outs: 10.12
Why bet on the Tampa Bay Rays?
You have to give a little bit of credit to the Rays, as they have managed to turn things around after a rather dismal start. Sure, they have just lost back to back games, but those losses came to the Red Sox and Angels, so no shame there. Prior to that, Tampa was on a 6-game winning streak that got them back to .500 on the season. It’s tough to really have any sort of expectation for this group, especially since they appear to be a team in limbo, with rumors of possible relocation swirling.
It’s a little surprising that they have had any success at all this year, especially when you consider their stats in both hitting and pitching, both of which are way down the league. It will be Blake Snell (5-3, 3.07 ERA) who starts for the Rays.
Team Statistics
Offense- Runs: 4.26
- Hits: 8.89
- Walks: 3.30
- Strike Outs: 8.77
- Runs: 4.55
- Hits: 7.89
- Walks: 3.21
- Strike Outs: 8.17
Latest MLB Betting Trends
- Boston is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games
- Boston is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
- The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Boston’s last 6 games
- Tampa Bay is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games at home
- Tampa Bay is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games at home
- The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Tampa Bay’s last 5 games at home
- Porcello is 14-8 when starting against Tampa Bay with an ERA of 3.23 and a WHIP of 1.147
- Snell is 2-3 when starting against Boston with an ERA of 4.13 and a WHIP of 1.530
