Red Sox vs. Rays Saturday Prediction
The Red Sox earned a win in Game 1 of their series with the Rays but will the host return the favor on Saturday night? Rick Porcello will start for Boston while Charlie Morton will face the Red Sox for the first time since last year’s postseason.
Game Snapshot & Odds
971 Boston Red Sox (+120) at 972 Tampa Bay Rays (-145); 8 runs
Saturday, April 20, 2019
6:10 p.m. ET, Tropicana Field, Tampa, FL
Compare odds and from multiple different online sportsbooks and shop for the best lines at our new Baseball Odds & Betting Page.
Public Betting Trends
According to our MLB Public Betting Chart page, 62% of the betting tickets are on the Rays to beat the Red Sox on the moneyline.
Boston Red Sox Fantasy Spin
Mookie Betts blasted a go-ahead homer in the eighth inning on Friday, propelling the Red Sox to a 6-4 victory over the Rays in Tampa Bay. Betts tagged Rays’ hard-throwing right-hander Diego Castillo for the go-ahead solo shot. He also doubled in the ballgame, finishing his night 2-for-4. With the two-hit attack, the reigning American League MVP is now hitting .216/.314/.432 with four homers, eight RBI and one stolen base. Much to the dismay of fantasy owners, he has still attempted just one stolen base through the first 20 games of the season
Tampa Bay Rays Fantasy Spin
Brandon Lowe clubbed his sixth home run of the season on Friday, but it wasn’t enough to lead his team to victory over the Red Sox. Lowe took Red Sox’ starter Eduardo Rodriguez deep in the second inning, giving the Rays an early 1-0 lead. It would wind up being his only hit in four at-bats on the night. The 24-year-old has been impressive in the early-going, slashing .275/.329/.594 with the aforementioned six bombs and 14 RBI.
MLB Betting Trends
Boston
The Red Sox are just 1-4 in their last five games at Tropicana Field despite winning in Tampa last night.
Tampa Bay
The Rays have beaten the Red Sox in four of their last five games versus Boston.
Prediction:
I don’t love the price tag on the Rays tonight but I do like their side when it comes to the pitching matchup. Porcello has been extremely unlucky in his first three starts of the season (as evidence by his .442 BABIP) but regardless, his outings have been awful to start the year. The Rays are better versus right-handers than lefties so I expect Porcello’s struggles to continue tonight. Meanwhile, outside of a shaky 11.9% walk rate through four starts, Morton has picked up in Tampa where he left off in Houston. I’ll pay the steep price with the Rays tonight.
The Pick: Tampa Bay Rays -145