With the season starting to wind down, there are some serious evaluations taking place in ball parks all over the country. Changes are coming soon, and you now have a ton of players trying to play for a roster spot next season. One team that seems to be taking that challenge to heart is the Boston Red Sox. They will try to continue their mini revival when they host the Tampa Bay Rays in an AL East clash on Wednesday night, where the Sox are favorites on MLB betting lines.
Tampa Bay Rays vs Boston Red Sox MLB Betting Preview
Date: Wednesday, September 23, 2015 Time: 7:10PM Venue: Fenway Park Opening Line: Boston -125
.@RaysBaseball lefty Drew Smyly on the ups and downs of his start Friday night against the Orioles. https://t.co/LJa4fmVIVt
— FOX Sports Florida (@SunSportsFOXFL) September 19, 2015
No-one in Boston is getting too carried away with what is going on at the moment, as the wins that the Red Sox (72-77) are putting together at the moment are essentially meaningless. That said, there are some signs of progress, the first of which is that the Red Sox are finally out of the cellar in the division. The Orioles are just a game ahead of them right now, which means a third place finish is very much on the cards. This season will still be classed as a disappointment, but the new management in Boston has to be pleased with how the players have responded. With back to back underachieving seasons now assured, you can bet that there will be some big changes coming in Boston, especially since it seems as though the Blue Jays have taken a huge step forward. Rick Porcello (8-13, 5.15 ERA) will be on the mound for Boston.
I recently wrote that I believed that the Tampa Bay Rays (72-78) would ultimately be the team that ended the season at the bottom of the AL East, and it looks as though they are doing all they can to prove me right. They put in another losing performance last week, going 3-4 against division rival Yankees and Orioles. Their 4-game series in Boston this week started off with a loss, despite the fact that they were able to get 7 runs across the plate, which is something of a minor miracle for this group. The bats have just not been good enough all season long, and now the pitching, which held them in there for longer than anyone expected, is also beginning to wind down. Drew Smyly (3-2, 3.64 ERA) is on a 6-game unbeaten streak coming into this one.