The Tampa Bay Rays (11-0, 8-0 home) look to stay undefeated in an American League East matchup against the Boston Red Sox (5-6, 3-2 away). Tampa has taken the first two of the series, beating Boston 1-0 and 7-2 in the first two games of the four-game set.
Wednesday’s first pitch is scheduled for a 6:40 p.m. EST start inside Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. Tampa Bay is the betting favorite (-125 moneyline) and the over/under total is eight runs.
What to Know – Boston Red Sox
Boston swept the Detroit Tigers in its first road action but ran haven’t fared well against the undefeated Rays.
The Red Sox find themselves in the cellar of a tough AL East division, one-game back of the Baltimore Orioles.
On the hill for the visitors is southpaw Chris Sale (1-0, 11.25 ERA, 2.00 WHIP). Sale picked up his first victory in his last start, allowing three earned runs on four hits and three walks while punching out seven batters over five frames. The veteran, who’s struggled with numerous injuries over the last few years, is looking for his first full season on the mound since 2018.
Offense hasn’t been the problem for Boston, who come into the midweek matchup scoring 5.5 runs per game and hitting .240 as a team. However, the Red Sox have been stifled at the plate by Tampa, plating just two runs through the first two games.
Boston is missing the bat of Adam Duvall, who is out for a considerable amount of time with wrist injury. Duvall was hitting .455 with four home runs and 14 RBIs before the injury. Rafael Devers also has four home runs with 9 RBIs and a .283 batting average.
What to Know – Tampa Bay Rays
The Rays are one victory away from matching the franchise record for wins in a row and became just the fourth team since 1901 to begin the season with an 11-0 mark. Tampa has gotten here with a mix of power hitting and effective pitching.
Looking to keep the Rays record unblemished is right-hander Taj Bradley. The 22-year old will make his MLB debut after Zach Eflin was placed on the IL. Bradley has a 23-16 record with a 2.66 ERA and 353 strikeouts over 317.2 innings in the minors.
Tampa is scoring 7.5 runs per game, leading the majors with 89 runs, and batting .283 as a team. The Rays also lead the MLB with a 1.73 team ERA.
Wander Franco and Brandon Lowe have four home runs and ten RBIs apiece, while Randy Arozarena is hitting .326 with a team-high 11 RBIs.
The Pick is In
Tampa will eventually stumble and lose a game, but it won’t be tonight. The Rays hit lefties just as well as right-handers, and Bradley has the stuff on the mound to pitch at this level. Expect some hiccups early, but Tampa Bay jumps on Sale the second time through the order to deal the Red Sox another blow.
The Pick: Tampa Bay Rays ML
