TAMPA, FLORIDA – APRIL 13: Christopher Morel #24 of the Tampa Bay Rays hits an RBI single in the fifth inning against the Atlanta Braves at George M. Steinbrenner Field on April 13, 2025 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
The Boston Red Sox will continue their road trip, this time heading south to face the AL East rival Tampa Bay Rays in a series opener. Neither team has gotten off to a particularly good start, as the Red Sox sit just under .500 with an 8-9 record while the Rays do the same at 7-8.
A large part of Boston's early struggles have stemmed from an inefficient starting pitching staff. Ace Garrett Crochet has been fantastic, but his running mate and tonight's starter, Tanner Houck, has not been nearly as good. After back-to-back tough starts, Houck did manage to earn a quality start, holding the Toronto Blue Jays to one run over almost seven innings of work. He will look to start a streak of solid outings against a Rays offense that has been surprisingly hot as of late.
The Red Sox are not the only team that has had issues with their starting rotation. Tampa Bay has dealt with injuries and awful performances from a handful of starters, but Shane Baz, Houck's counterpart here, has been a welcome bright spot in an otherwise downtrodden group. The righty has some of the best numbers in the MLB through two starts, throwing 13 innings while only giving up two runs. He is an intimidating matchup for a Boston offense that has failed to score more than four runs in a full week.
Spread
- Red Sox +1.5 (-184)
- Rays -1.5 (-165)
Moneyline
- Red Sox +113
- Rays -123
Totals
- Over 8.5 (-117)
- Under 8.5 (+100)
*The above data was collected on April 14, 2025, and may have changed since writing.
Red Sox vs Rays Betting Trends
- The Red Sox are 8-9 ATS this season.
- The Red Sox are 2-5 ATS against divisional opponents.
- The over is 4-1-2 in games Boston plays following a victory.
- The Rays are 5-10 ATS on the season.
- Every single Tampa Bay cover has come on their home field.
- The under is 6-5-1 in Tampa Bay's home games.
Red Sox vs Rays Injury Reports
Boston Red Sox
- Connor Wong, C - Out.
- Masataka Yoshida, DH - Out.
- Liam Hendricks, RP - Out.
Tampa Bay Rays
- Ha-Seong Kim, SS - Out.
- Jonny DeLuca, CF - Out.
- Josh Lowe, RF - Out.
- Richie Palacias, OF - Out.
- Kevin Kelly, RP - Out.
Red Sox vs Rays Predictions and Picks
Paul Biagioli of Winners and Whiners writes "The Red Sox are having a nightmare run over the past week, they dropped three of four in Fenway against divisional rival Toronto, and lost their first two games against the White Sox. These types of performances will not allow Boston to be competitive in the AL East if they keep it up. The switch is not easily flipped, and now they must travel to Tampa Bay the next day to take on the Rays. Baz is on the mound for Tampa Bay, and he has not allowed more than three runs in any of his three starts and has the much lower ERA in this pitching matchup. Boston has only scored a combined three runs over their last two games, while the Rays are getting production from Aranda and Caminero. The Rays will grab the first game of this series at home. Take Tampa Bay to win."
It is hard to disagree with Biagioli. The Rays are at home and have a significant pitching advantage. Tampa Bay should keep Boston off the board for the majority of the game while scratching out enough offense to win.
