Thursday, August 25, 2016

Tropicana Field

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Drew Pomeranz vs. Jake Odorizzi

The Boston Red Sox visit Tropicana Field on Thursday to play the Tampa Bay Rays. The probable starters are Drew Pomeranz for the Red Sox and Jake Odorizzi for the Rays. The opening line for this matchup has Boston at -125 and Tampa Bay at +115. The over/under was set at 7.5. The Red Sox have a 62-58-5 over/under record and a 63-62-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 50% of the time. The Rays are 54-70-0 against the run line and have a 58-59-7 over/under record. They cover the spread 44% of the time.

The Red Sox head into this matchup with a 71-54 record, including 33-27 on the road. Starting pitcher Drew Pomeranz has a 10-9 record with an earned run average of 2.95 and a WHIP of 1.14. He has 150 strikeouts over his 140.1 innings pitched and he has given up 104 hits so far this season. He has allowed 6.7 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.71. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 3.93 and they have given up 328 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .237 against the bullpen while being struck out 391 times and walking 148 times this season. As a team, Boston has allowed 8.59 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.43 batters per nine. They are 16th in the league in team earned run average at 4.17. The Red Sox pitchers have collectively given up 1,060 base hits and 515 earned runs. They have allowed 139 home runs this season and they allow 1.1 homers per nine innings as a staff. Boston as a pitching staff has walked 387 batters and struck out 1,040. They walk 3.1 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.4 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.30 and their FIP as a unit is 4.09.

As a team, Boston is batting .284, good for 1st in the league while putting together a .265 average away from home. The Red Sox hold a .467 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .350 which is good for 1st in baseball. They rank 1st in baseball with 9.98 hits per game. Xander Bogaerts comes into this game hitting .310 and his on-base percentage is at .367. He has 157 hits this season along with 89 runs scored and 71 runs batted in. He's struck out 89 times and has walked 42 times. Mookie Betts is hitting .313 and he has an on-base percentage of .353. He has totaled 165 hits so far while scoring 99 runs and he's driven in 89. He has walked 34 times and has struck out 70 times. The Red Sox have 1,247 hits, including 276 doubles and 160 home runs. They've stolen 68 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 16 times. Boston has walked 425 times this season and they've struck out 889 times as a unit. They've left 904 men on base and have a team OPS of .816. They score 5.48 runs per contest and have scored a total of 685 runs so far this year.

Tampa Bay comes into this matchup with a 30-37 home record and a 52-72 overall mark. With an earned run average of 3.63, Jake Odorizzi has a 8-5 record and a 1.21 WHIP. He has 135 strikeouts over the 148.2 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 138 hits. He has allowed 8.4 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.14. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 4.24 and they have given up 373 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .258 against the Rays bullpen while being struck out 340 times and walking 130 times this season. As a team, Tampa Bay has allowed 8.75 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.6 batters per nine. They are 15th in the league in team earned run average at 4.11. The Rays pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,063 base knocks and 499 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 159 home runs this year and they give up 1.3 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Tampa Bay as a staff has walked 365 hitters and struck out 1,045. They give up a walk 3 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.6 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.31 while their FIP as a staff is 4.20.

As a team, they are batting .241, good for 28th in the league while putting together a .233 average at home. The Rays hold a .424 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .309 which is good for 26th in baseball. They rank 27th in baseball with 8.1 hits per contest. Evan Longoria comes into this matchup batting .288 and he has an OBP of .339. He has 139 hits this year along with 66 runs scored and 78 RBI. He's struck out 111 times and has walked on 37 occasions. Logan Forsythe is hitting .280 and he has an OBP of .342. He has collected 103 hits so far while he's scored 60 runs and drove in 41. He has earned a walk 30 times and has punched out 86 times. The Rays as a unit have 1,004 base hits, including 217 doubles and 166 homers. They have 47 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 29 times. Tampa Bay as a team has walked 367 times this year and they have struck out 1,122 times. They've had 813 men left on base and have an OPS of .734. They score 4.19 runs per game and have totaled 519 runs so far this season.

Boston Red Sox Betting Trends

The Boston Red Sox are 62-58-5 against the over/under so far this season

The Boston Red Sox are 63-62-0 against the run line so far this season

Tampa Bay Rays Betting Trends

The Tampa Bay Rays are 58-59-7 against the over/under so far this season

The Tampa Bay Rays are 54-70-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Boston Red Sox

08/21/16 P Eduardo Rodriguez Hamstring "?" for next scheduled start
08/15/16 P Steven Wright Shoulder 15-day DL (8/8)
08/06/16 C Ryan Hanigan Ankle 15-day DL (8/5)
07/20/16 P Koji Uehara Pectoral 15-day DL (7/20)
06/17/16 2B Josh Rutledge Knee 60-day DL (6/15)
06/07/16 P Carson Smith Elbow 60-day DL (5/15)
06/06/16 C Blake Swihart Ankle 60-day DL (6/5)
05/03/16 3B Pablo Sandoval Shoulder 60-day DL (4/11); out for season
04/04/16 P Brandon Workman Elbow 60-day DL (3/25)

Tampa Bay Rays

08/24/16 2B Tim Beckham Hamstring injured last game, doubtful Wednesday vs. Boston Red Sox
08/20/16 2B Nick Franklin Concussion 7-day (8/20)
08/07/16 LF Desmond Jennings Knee 15-day DL (8/3)
08/07/16 P Enny Romero Back 15-day DL (8/4)
07/31/16 RF Oswaldo Arcia Elbow 15-day DL (7/27)
04/01/16 P Alex Cobb Elbow 60-day DL (3/25)

Tony's Pick: Take the Red Sox

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Read more articles by Tony Sink