Rays vs. Red Sox Friday Prediction
The upstart Tampa Bay Rays just took two of three from the Yankees in New York and now have their sights on spoiling things for the host Red Sox on Friday night. Will Boston ruin Tampa’s good vibes with a runline victory tonight?
Game Snapshot & Odds
919 Tampa Bay Rays (+165) at 920 Boston Red Sox (-175); 9.5 runs
Friday, August 17, 2018
1:35 p.m. ET, Fenway Park
TV: TB (FS SUN); BOS (NESN)
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Public Betting Trends
Oddsmakers from online sportsbooks currently list the Red Sox as a -175 favorite. As of this writing, 70% of the betting tickets wagered at online sportsbooks are on the Red Sox to beat the Rays on the moneyline. This information is subject to change, however, so be sure to check out our MLB Public Betting Page for updated figures on this game.
Rays’ Stanek will draw start vs. Red Sox on Friday
Ryne Stanek will be the starter for Friday’s game against the Red Sox. Stanek will act as the “opener” against the Red Sox, and then will likely be followed by a long reliever. While he’s pitched relatively well with a 2.45 ERA and 62/20 K/BB ratio over 47 innings, he’ll have very little fantasy value since he won’t factor into the decision on Friday.
Red Sox’ Johnson gets win despite allowing five runs vs. Blue Jays
Brian Johnson gave up five runs in seven innings but “earned” a win nonetheless against the Blue Jays on Wednesday. He doesn’t have to pitch effectively to earn wins while he pitches for the highest-scoring team in the majors. That was the case today as the Red Sox hitters gave him 10 runs of support. Johnson surrendered a two-run tater to Teoscar Hernandez and a three-run jack to Randal Grichuk in the win. The left-hander struck out six and walked two and improves to 3-3 with a 4.00 ERA in eight starts and 21 relief appearances on the season.
MLB Betting Trends
Tampa Bay
The Rays are 13-3 in their last 16 games versus an opponent that owns a winning record.
Boston
The Red Sox are 20-6 in their last 26 games when playing the first game of a series.
Prediction:
The Rays have been a poor bet against the Red Sox in previous meeting. They’re just 3-9 in their last 12 meetings with the Red Sox and 7-15 in their last 22 games played at Fenway Park. Furthermore, the Rays have lost six of Stanek’s last seven road starts against the Sox. With limited value on the money line, I’m taking the Red Sox on the runline here.
The Pick: Boston Red Sox -1.5 (+100)