Boston Red Sox vs. Tampa Bay Rays Picks, Predictions, Odds

Michael Crosson Sports Betting Expert

9 minute read

Boston Red Sox vs. Tampa Bay Rays Betting Analysis

The Red Sox visit the Rays at Tropicana Field on Thursday, July 14, 2022 for the fourth of a four-game series.

Boston is sitting in the third place of the American League East standings at 47-42, while owning a 24-22 record away from Fenway Park. The Red Sox are also 15.5 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the division. Their divisional opponent Tampa Bay is currently in second place and 14 games behind, as the Rays are 48-40 and 28-17 at home.

Updated on 05/10/2024

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Boston Red Sox vs. Tampa Bay Rays Betting Prediction

The Red Sox send RHP Kutter Crawford to the mound against Tampa Bay’s 22^nd ranked scoring offense on Thursday night (4.17 RSPG), who’s been up-and-down throughout his brief big-league tenure sitting 2-3 with a 5.63 ERA in 13 career appearances. However, most of Crawford’s success has come in the starting role, highlighted by his 3.21 ERA across 14 innings as a starter (1.21 WHIP); and his 5.63 ERA across 16 innings out of the bullpen (1.63 WHIP).

On the other hand, the Rays send RHP Drew Rasmussen to the hill against Boston’s fourth-ranked scoring offense tonight (4.74 RSPG), who’s having another excellent campaign sitting 5-3 with a 3.11 ERA on the year (1.19 WHIP), despite dropping his last two decisions against the Rangers (3 IP, 5 ER) and Twins (4.1 IP, 4 ER).

I’ll back Tampa Bay here, as despite Boston’s relatively steep offensive advantage, Ramussen has yielded an impressive 2.30 ERA and 1.15 WHIP in three career starts against the Red Sox (15.2 IP, 4 ER); likely presenting an uphill battle for Crawford, who’s 1-1 with a 4.82 ERA across his last ten appearances for Boston (1.39 WHIP).

Score Prediction: Rays 4, Red Sox 2
Best Bet: Rays ML

Boston Red Sox vs. Tampa Bay Rays Betting Odds

Boston Red Sox vs. Tampa Bay Rays Betting Resources

• Date: Thursday, July 14, 2022
• Matchup: AL East
• Venue: Tropicana Field
• Location: St. Petersburg, Florida
• Time-TV: 7:10 p.m. ET – MLB Network

Boston Red Sox vs. Tampa Bay Rays – Current Form

Boston fell to the Chicago Cubs 2-1, but split its series against the Yankees on Sunday. The Red Sox were the weakest on Saturday, managing only one run in game two of a three-contest series against the Cubs.

The Red Sox were the weakest on Friday, when the New York Yankees scored 12 runs in game two of a four-contest series against the Yankees. Tampa Bay captured its series against the Toronto Blue Jays, 3-1, but the Rays fell to the Reds on Sunday. Their worst game was on Friday, when the Tampa Bay Rays only scored one run against the Cincinnati Reds in the first contest of a three-game series.

Their best performance was in the third contest of a four-game series, on Saturday, when Tampa Bay routed the Toronto Blue Jays by posting 11 runs.

Boston Red Sox vs. Tampa Bay Rays – Pitching Matchup

Boston: Kutter Crawford (2-2, 4.50 ERA)

Boston’s right-hander Kutter Crawford takes the mound for his third start of the season. Crawford looks to improve on a 2-2 record and 4.50 ERA in 30 innings, while striking out 38, walking 15 batters, and posting a 1.43 WHIP. Crawford received a no-decision in his most recent start against the New York Yankees, as Boston’s right-hander surrendered one run on four hits, two walks, and six strikeouts during the Red Sox’ 6-5 home loss on July 9, 2022. Crawford is 1-1 with a 3.65 ERA across this season’s one starts on the road, which includes seven walks, 17 strikeouts, and a 1.54 WHIP over 12.1 innings of action.

Tampa Bay: Drew Rasmussen (5-3, 3.10 ERA)

Drew Rasmussen will make his 14th start of the season for Tampa Bay, who’s hoping to find some traction after posting a 5-3 record and 3.10 ERA thus far, while tallying a 1.19 WHIP, 20 walks, and 57 strikeouts across 66.2 innings of action. Tampa Bay’s 26-year-old right-hander didn’t factor in the decision in his last start, which came on the road against the Cincinnati Reds July 9, 2022. He threw four innings, not allowing any runs on four hits with two walks and six strikeouts in a 5-4 Rays loss. Pitching at home this season, Rasmussen is 3-0 with a 1.65 ERA, a 0.83 WHIP, six walks and 29 strikeouts over 32.2 innings in six starts.

Boston Red Sox vs. Tampa Bay Rays – Series History

Tampa Bay had a great 2021 season in this matchup, tallying a 12-11 mark. This season, Tampa Bay has picked up seven wins in nine meetings.

Michael Crosson

Michael Crosson began his time at VegasInsider as a freelance NBA writer back in 2019 while he continued to study Psychology and Biology at James Madison University. Following his graduation in 2021, Michael joined the team full-time, and he's been with VI ever since. Michael still writes NBA, NFL, and MLB for VI, as well as gambling industry news. He's also become a crucial part of our editorial production team. More from Michael Crosson