Boston Red Sox vs Tampa Bay Rays Predictions, MLB Picks, Betting Tips 8/5/2020

Game: Boston Red Sox vs Tampa Bay Rays

Date: Wednesday, August 5, 2020

Location: Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, FL

TV: NESN/SUN

Odds/Point Spread: Red Sox (+145) Rays (-167)

J.D. Martinez and the Boston Red Sox (3-7, 5th in AL East) travel to Tropicana Field on Wednesday where they'll meet the Tampa Bay Rays (4-6, 4th in AL East). The Red Sox open this contest at +145 while the Rays are coming in at -167. The O/U has been set at 8.5. The men taking the mound are Martin Perez and Ryan Yarbrough.

Key Boston Red Sox Injuries

8/4/2020 Josh Taylor RP Not Injury Related Expected to be out until at least Aug 7
8/1/2020 Eduardo Rodriguez SP Illness Out for the season
7/28/2020 Darwinzon Hernandez RP Not Injury Related Expected to be out until at least Aug 15
7/7/2020 Dustin Pedroia 2B Knee Expected to be out until at least Sep 1
6/28/2020 Chris Sale SP Elbow Out for the season

Key Tampa Bay Rays Injuries

8/2/2020 Manuel Margot LF Back Probable for Aug 4
7/30/2020 Randy Arozarena CF Not Injury Related Expected to be out until at least Aug 5
7/21/2020 Colin Poche RP Elbow Out for the season

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Red Sox have a 3-7 overall record this season. Perez (54-57 career mark) sits with a FIP of 4.53 and he has faced 4,098 batters in the major leagues. His earned run average is 4.73 (492 earned runs allowed) and his career WHIP is 1.485. He has given up 1,048 base knocks (10.1 hits per 9 innings) and has 343 walks. Perez has thrown 936 innings and is sitting with 604 K's during his pro baseball career. The bullpen has an earned run average of 5.11 and they have given up 51 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .234 against the bullpen and they've struck out 56 hitters and walked 18 batters. As a team, Boston allows 9.6 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.2 batters per nine innings. They are 28th in the league in team earned run average at 5.79. The Red Sox pitchers collectively have given up 93 base hits and 56 earned runs. They have allowed 17 home runs this season, ranking them 2nd in the league. Boston as a pitching staff has walked 40 batters and struck out 79. They have walked 4.1 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.2 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.53 and their FIP as a unit is 5.46.

Related: Get MLB predictions on all of today's games

Hitting Statistics

As a team Boston is hitting .254, good for 6th in the league. The Red Sox hold a .422 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .314, which is good for 18th in baseball. They rank 7th in MLB with 8.8 hits per game. J.D. Martinez is hitting .222 with an on-base percentage of .317. He has 8 hits this season in 36 at bats with 3 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .333 and an OPS+ of 82. Jackie Bradley Jr is hitting .276 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .364. He has totaled 8 hits and he has driven in 3 men in 29 at bats. His OPS+ is 100 while his slugging percentage is at .345. The Red Sox have 88 hits, including 22 doubles and 12 home runs. Boston has walked 26 times so far this season and they have struck out 86 times as a unit. They have left 64 men on base and have a team OPS of .736. They score 4.6 runs per contest and have scored a total of 46 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Tampa Bay has a 4-6 overall mark this year. In his career, Yarbrough has surrendered 267 hits while he has earned 252 K's in 300 frames. He has surrendered a total of 131 ER's while holding a WHIP of 1.136 and a FIP of 3.9. He has a strikeout to walk ratio of 3.41 and he has faced 1,237 opposing batters so far in his MLB career. Yarbrough (27-13 career record) holds a 3.93 ERA while giving up 8.0 hits per 9 innings. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.94 and they have given up 48 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .236 against the Rays bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 56 batters and walked 17 opposing hitters. As a team, Tampa Bay allows 8.8 hits per nine innings while striking out 10.6 batters per nine innings. They are 11th in the league in team earned run average at 3.76. The Rays pitchers as a team have surrendered 87 base knocks and 37 earned runs this season. They have given up 11 home runs this year, which ranks 16th in Major League Baseball. Tampa Bay as a staff has walked 34 hitters and struck out 104 batters. They give up a walk 3.5 times per 9 innings while they strike out 10.6 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.37 while their FIP as a staff is 3.60.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .210, good for 23rd in the league. The Rays hold a .368 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .303, which is good for 22nd in baseball. They rank 22nd in MLB with 6.9 hits per contest. Ji-Man Choi comes into this matchup batting .167 with an OBP of .310. He has 4 hits this year along with 4 RBI in 24 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .375 with an OPS+ of 97. Brandon Lowe is hitting .286 this season and he has an OBP of .375. He has collected 10 hits in 35 at bats while driving in 8 runs. He has an OPS+ of 190 and a slugging percentage of .657. The Rays as a unit have 69 base hits, including 16 doubles and 10 homers. Tampa Bay has walked 41 times this year and they have struck out on 92 occasions. They have had 60 men left on base and have an OPS of .671. They have scored 4.6 runs per game and totaled 46 runs this season.

Who will win tonight's Red Sox/Rays MLB game against the spread?

Josh's Pick: Take the Rays (-167)

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