Things could not have gone much worse for the Boston Red Sox on Monday as they blew a 7-1 lead against the first-place Tampa Bay Rays and lost 11-10. The Red Sox still have a three-game lead on the second wild card but trail the New York Yankees by a half-game for the top spot and are nine behind the Rays in the AL East.
The Red Sox and Rays meet up again on Tuesday with a 7:10 p.m. ET first pitch at Fenway Park. Boston will have lefty Eduardo Rodriguez (11-7, 4.88) on the mound against Rays opener RHP Drew Rasmussen (1-1, 3.38). The Rays lead the season series 9-7, but Boston is 4-2 at Fenway.
Rays Are Road Warriors
The Rays’ comeback on Monday was their sixth straight road win, and overall they are 42-25 on the road this season. They are 12-3 in the last 15 games as they streak toward a division title, and that run includes five comeback wins. Since the All-Star break, Tampa Bay has had the best record in baseball at 34-14.
The Rays offense is hot with 6.5 runs per game in their last 15 outings, including 11 on Monday. They lead the Majors at 5.4 runs per game and are seventh in homers and 10th in OPS. Brandon Lowe leads the team with 33 homers, while Austin Meadows has 24 to go with 97 RBI.
Rasmussen has five career outings against Boston with no record and a 2.53 ERA. The Red Sox are a combined 6-for-30 against Rasmussen, and only Alex Verdugo (2-4) and Christian Vazquez (2-3) have more than one hit against him. None of the current Red Sox have a home run off Rasmussen.
Red Sox Trying to Hang On
Boston is 24-25 since the All-Star Break and 36-29 against the AL East as they have fallen to third place in the division. They are still in good shape for the playoffs with a three-game lead over Seattle and Toronto, with Oakland 3.5 games behind. Losses like last night hurt, though, especially when former ace Chris Sale was on the mound with a 7-1 lead.
Boston’s offense ranks in the top five in average (3rd), OPS (3rd), and runs scored (4th). They have seven players with at least 12 home runs and six players with at least 25 doubles. Rafael Devers is having a monster season with 33 homers, 34 doubles, and 101 RBI.
Rodriguez is 2-3 in his career with a 4.66 ERA against the Rays, but he did throw six shutout innings in a win last Thursday. Rodriguez has dominated Nelson Cruz (4-25) over the years, but Yandy Diaz (7-15) and Randy Arozarena (3-8) hit him well. Lowe has three home runs in 13 at-bats against Rodriguez.
Betting Analysis
- Tampa Bay Rays: -115 Money line. +1.5 Run Line (-200)
- Boston Red Sox: -105 Money line. -1.5 Run line (+170)
- Total: 9.5 runs. Over -110. Under -110.
The Rays are on fire, but the last time they were shut down, it was by Rodriguez, and the lefty looks to do it again, this time at home. Boston’s bats were just fine on Monday, and they have played the Rays well at Fenway all season. They should be able to get Rasmussen out of the game early, but the Rays’ bullpen is strong as always.
Free Pick: Red Sox (-105)
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