Sunday, August 31, 2014

Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Sunday afternoon, the Boston Red Sox will take the field behind Clay Buchholz (5 - 8, 5.77 ERA) as they square off against the Tampa Bay Rays and Alex Cobb (9 - 6, 3.06 ERA). Buchholz will start his 23^rd game as Cobb starts his 22^nd.

Clay Buchholz had a solid outing his last time out but he just missed getting the decision. Buchholz threw 8.1 innings of 3 run, 4 hit ball. He walked 2 and struck out 4. Buchholz is still seeking his 1^st victory since last July. Most of his recent starts have been rough and those performances have led to a 2 - 4 record in his last 10 starts. Last season, Buchholz went 12 -1 with a 1.74 ERA in 16 starts.

In 2013, Buchholz was perfect 2 - 0 with a 0.00 ERA in 2 starts against the Rays. Tampa Bay is batting just .224 against Buchholz 39 hits, a home run and 12 RBIs in 174 at-bats.

Alex Cobb had a short outing in his last start but he didn't get the decision. In 4 innings of work, he allowed 2 runs and 3 hits while walking 3 and striking out 6. The 4 innings was the shortest start for him this season. Cobb hasn't lost a game since late June and is 6 - 0 in his last 10 trips to the mound. In 2013, Cobb was 11 - 3 with a 2.76 ERA in 22 starts.

Last season, Cobb was 0 - 1 with a 5.16 ERA in 4 starts against the Red Sox. Boston is batting .245 against Cobb with 23 hits and 11 RBIs in 94 at-bats.

Boston Red Sox Betting Trends

Boston Red Sox are 56-73-4 against the Over/Under

Run Differential for Boston Red Sox is -0.5

Tampa Bay Rays Betting Trends

Tampa Bay Rays are 60-67-7 against the Over/Under

Run differential for Tampa Bay Rays is 0.1

Injuries to Watch

Boston Red Sox

08/25/14 SS Xander Bogaerts Concussion 7-day DL (8/23)
08/01/14 RF Shane Victorino Back 15-day DL (7/30)
05/31/14 1B Ryan Lavarnway Wrist 60-day DL (5/30)

Tampa Bay Rays

06/24/14 LF Jerry Sands Wrist 60-day DL (6/22), out for season
06/19/14 LF David DeJesus Hand 15-day DL (6/19)
04/08/14 P Matt Moore Elbow 60-day DL (4/8), out for season
03/30/14 2B Tim Beckham Knee 60-day DL (3/30)

Josh's Pick: Take Boston

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