Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Fenway Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Drew Smyly (3-2) vs. Rick Porcello (8-13)

The Tampa Bay Rays visit Fenway Park on Wednesday to play the Boston Red Sox. The Rays send Drew Smyly to the mound to face Rick Porcello of the Red Sox. The opening line for this matchup has Tampa Bay at +117 and Boston at -127. The over/under was set at 9. The Rays have a 69-71 over/under record and a 81-69 run line mark, meaning they cover 54% of the time. The Red Sox are 73-76 against the run line and have a 80-63 over/under record. They cover the spread 49% of the time.

The Rays head into this matchup with a 72-78 record, including 36-39 on the road. Drew Smyly has a 3-2 record on the season, an earned run average of 3.64 and a 1.18 WHIP. He's pitched 54.1 innings thus far while surrendering 50 hits over that time and when he starts, the Rays are 6-4. The Rays are also 4-5 against the over/under in his starts. His teammates are averaging 4.8 runs a game when he pitches. The bullpen has given up 444 hits on the season and have an earned run average of 3.86. Opposing teams are hitting .234 against the Rays bullpen while walking 180 times and striking out 476 times. Tampa Bay is averaging 8.49 strikeouts per game while getting 8.05 hits per nine innings as a team. They rank 9th in baseball in team earned run average at 3.73.

Tampa Bay ranks 20th in the league in team batting average at .251 while hitting .256 on the road. The Rays on-base percentage sits at .315, which puts them at 17th in the league and they have a team slugging percentage of .402. Evan Longoria leads the team in hits with 148 while the team ranks 21st in baseball with 8.49 hits per game.

With a 40-35 home record, Boston will hope to improve on their 72-77 overall mark. Rick Porcello has a record of 8-13 while sporting an earned run average of 5.16 on the year with a 1.36 WHIP. He's pitched 150 innings thus far while surrendering 169 hits over that time in which the Red Sox are 12-13. The Red Sox are also 11-13 against the over/under in his starts. His teammates score an average of 3.8 runs a game when he pitches. The bullpen has given up 484 hits on the season and have a team earned run average of 4.41. Opposing teams are hitting .262 against the Red Sox bullpen while walking 171 times and striking out 406 times. Boston is averaging 7.58 strikeouts per game while getting 9.28 hits per nine innings as a team. They rank 26th in the league in team earned run average at 4.46.

They rank 3rd in the league in team batting average with a .268 average while hitting .295 at home. The Red Sox on-base percentage sits at .328, which puts them at 3rd in the league and they have a team slugging percentage of .418. Xander Bogaerts leads the team in hits with 180 while the team ranks 2nd in baseball with 9.36 hits a game.

In terms of team defense, the Rays have a fielding percentage of .983 with 91 total errors, 1,289 assists and 4,043 put outs. The Red Sox have committed 90 errors on the season with 1,500 assists and 4,000 put outs leading to a team fielding percentage of .984 on the year.

Tampa Bay Rays Betting Trends

The Tampa Bay Rays are 69-71 against the over/under so far this season

The Tampa Bay Rays are 81-69 against the run line so far this season

Boston Red Sox Betting Trends

The Boston Red Sox are 80-63 against the over/under so far this season

The Boston Red Sox are 73-76 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Tampa Bay Rays

09/18/15 CF Desmond Jennings Knee Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (8/26); out for season
08/26/15 C Curt Casali Hamstring Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (8/25)
08/21/15 P Jake McGee Knee Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (8/19)
05/09/15 P Alex Cobb Forearm Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (3/27), out for season
04/29/15 P Kirby Yates Pectoral Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (4/29)
04/18/15 P Jeff Beliveau Shoulder Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (4/22), out for season

Boston Red Sox

09/22/15 2B Dustin Pedroia Rest is not expected to be in the starting lineup Tuesday vs. Tampa Bay Rays
09/16/15 P Joe Kelly Shoulder out for season
09/05/15 LF Hanley Ramirez Shoulder Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (8/27)
08/28/15 P Clay Buchholz Elbow Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (7/11); out for season
08/15/15 P Steven Wright Concussion Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (8/15)
08/11/15 P Koji Uehara Wrist Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (8/8), out for season
05/29/15 P Brandon Workman Elbow Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (4/3)
05/28/15 P Anthony Varvaro Elbow Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (4/29)
05/13/15 P Justin Masterson Arm Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (5/13)
04/04/15 C Christian Vazquez Elbow Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (3/30), out for season

Josh's Pick: Take the Red Sox

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