Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Fenway Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Drew Smyly vs. Steven Wright

The Tampa Bay Rays head to Fenway Park on Wednesday to take on the Boston Red Sox. The probable pitchers are Drew Smyly for the Rays and Steven Wright for the Red Sox. The opening line for this game has Tampa Bay at +160 and Boston at -170. The over/under is 9.5. The Rays have a 62-61-7 over/under mark and a 58-72-0 run line record, meaning they cover 45% of the time. The Red Sox are 65-66-0 against the run line and have a 65-60-6 over/under record. They cover the spread 50% of the time.

The Rays head into this game with a 55-75 record, and they are 23-38 on the road. Starting pitcher Drew Smyly has a 6-11 record with an ERA of 4.80 and a WHIP of 1.23. He has 149 strikeouts during his 150 innings pitched and he has given up 144 hits so far this year. He has surrendered 8.6 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.34. The bullpen this season has an earned run average of 4.16 and they have allowed 390 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .257 against the pen while they've been struck out 366 times and walked 142 times this year. As a unit, Tampa Bay has given up 8.78 base hits per nine innings while striking out 8.7 hitters per nine. They are 15th in the Majors in team earned run average at 4.12. The Rays pitchers have collectively given up 1,118 base hits and 525 earned runs. They have allowed 166 home runs this season and they allow 1.3 homers per nine innings as a staff. Tampa Bay as a pitching staff has walked 386 batters and struck out 1,108. They walk 3 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.7 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.31 and their FIP as a unit is 4.18.

As a team, Tampa Bay is hitting .243, good for 27th in the league while putting together a .253 average on the road. The Rays have a .426 team slugging percentage and an OBP of .309 which is good for 27th in the league. They rank 26th in baseball with 8.18 hits per contest. Evan Longoria comes into this game hitting .288 and his on-base percentage is at .338. He has 145 hits this season along with 68 runs scored and 82 runs batted in. He's struck out 116 times and has walked 39 times. Logan Forsythe is hitting .274 and he has an on-base percentage of .339. He has totaled 106 hits so far while scoring 60 runs and he's driven in 42. He has walked 33 times and has struck out 91 times. The Rays have 1,064 hits, including 233 doubles and 172 home runs. They've stolen 48 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 31 times. Tampa Bay has walked 376 times this season and they've struck out 1,174 times as a unit. They've left 851 men on base and have a team OPS of .735. They score 4.19 runs per contest and have scored a total of 545 runs so far this year.

Boston comes into this game with a 40-29 home mark and a 73-58 overall record. With an ERA of 3.18, Steven Wright has a 13-6 record and a 1.21 WHIP. He has 124 strikeouts over the 152.2 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 131 hits. He has allowed 7.7 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.59. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.95 and they have given up 343 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .237 against the Red Sox bullpen while being struck out 404 times and walking 154 times this season. As a team, Boston has allowed 8.6 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.41 batters per nine. They are 16th in the league in team earned run average at 4.19. The Red Sox pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,113 base knocks and 543 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 146 home runs this year and they give up 1.1 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Boston as a staff has walked 403 hitters and struck out 1,088. They give up a walk 3.1 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.4 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.30 while their FIP as a staff is 4.09.

As a team, they are batting .285, good for 1st in the league while putting together a .305 average at home. The Red Sox hold a .466 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .350 which is good for 1st in baseball. They rank 1st in baseball with 10.02 hits per contest. Xander Bogaerts comes into this matchup batting .306 and he has an OBP of .362. He has 163 hits this year along with 91 runs scored and 76 RBI. He's struck out 94 times and has walked on 43 occasions. Mookie Betts is hitting .322 and he has an OBP of .361. He has collected 178 hits so far while he's scored 102 runs and drove in 96. He has earned a walk 35 times and has punched out 73 times. The Red Sox as a unit have 1,313 base hits, including 290 doubles and 166 homers. They have 71 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 17 times. Boston as a team has walked 443 times this year and they have struck out 936 times. They've had 946 men left on base and have an OPS of .817. They score 5.44 runs per game and have totaled 713 runs so far this season.

Tampa Bay Rays Betting Trends

The Tampa Bay Rays are 62-61-7 against the over/under so far this season

The Tampa Bay Rays are 58-72-0 against the run line so far this season

Boston Red Sox Betting Trends

The Boston Red Sox are 65-60-6 against the over/under so far this season

The Boston Red Sox are 65-66-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Tampa Bay Rays

08/28/16 P Blake Snell Foot "?" for next scheduled start
08/07/16 LF Desmond Jennings Knee 15-day DL (8/3); out for season
08/07/16 P Enny Romero Back 15-day DL (8/4)

Boston Red Sox

08/29/16 2B Dustin Pedroia Personal "?" Tuesday vs. Tampa Bay Rays
08/25/16 LF Andrew Benintendi Knee 15-day DL (8/25)
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)

Josh's Pick: Take the Red Sox

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