Boston Red Sox vs Tampa Bay Rays Prediction, 9/1/2021 MLB Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Boston Red Sox vs Tampa Bay Rays

Date: Wednesday, September 1, 2021

Location: Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, FL

TV: Bally Sports Sun

Odds/Point Spread: Boston (-116) Tampa Bay (-105)

Drew Rasmussen and the Tampa Bay Rays (82-48, 1st in AL East) host the Boston Red Sox (75-57, 3rd in AL East) at Tropicana Field on Wednesday. The Rays open this game at -105 while the Red Sox are coming in at -116. The O/U has been set at 7. The pitchers who are expected to start will be Chris Sale and Drew Rasmussen.

The Red Sox have hit 272 doubles as a unit and have smacked 176 baseballs out of the park. Boston is slugging .445 and have been called out on strikes 1,127 times, while taking a walk on 407 occasions. As a squad, the Boston Red Sox are putting up 5.0 runs per game, which puts them at 4th in the league. They have earned 631 runs batted in and 1,160 base knocks over the course of the season, and their average at the plate sits at .259. They have notched a total of 670 runs scored and have an on-base percentage of .325.

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The Red Sox have a team earned run average of 4.31 for the year (15th in MLB), and their staff has rung up 1,243 hitters. Their pitching staff has walked 453 opposing players and their FIP is 3.98 as a team so far this season. Their strikeout to walk ratio is 2.74 and their pitching staff sits with a WHIP of 1.39. Red Sox pitchers have surrendered 144 home runs and 612 runs (17th in the league).

The Red Sox relievers have compiled a save rate of 66.7% and has come into the game in 144 save situations. The relief pitchers have inherited 216 runners so far this season with 31.0% of those players crossed the plate. Red Sox relief pitchers have gone to the mound with runners on 139 times in addition to having 151 appearances in high leverage situations. The Red Sox have sent 448 relievers to the hill over the course of the season. The relief pitchers have earned 79 holds over the course of the season (5th in baseball). They have accumulated 40 saves for the season and have blown 20 out of their 60 save opportunities.

The Boston Red Sox have accumulated 3,481 putouts so far this season, as well as 1,163 assists and 89 errors. Their fielding rate is holding at .981 which is 28th in pro baseball, and they have turned 925 double plays. The Red Sox have transformed 65.8% of balls in play into outs in their 10,443 innings on the diamond, which has them sitting 30th in MLB.

Sale has taken the mound for 1,645 innings and has accumulated 2,028 strikeouts thus far in his career. His ERA is 3.02 (552 ER's allowed) and he has a WHIP of 1.035. He has surrendered 1,325 base knocks (7.2 hits per nine innings) and has 377 walks. Sale (112-73 mark in his career) has a FIP of 2.91 while he has faced 6,605 batters in the majors.

Tampa Bay has compiled 178 home runs on the campaign as well as 664 runs batted in. They have recorded 236 doubles, while getting a free base 481 times as well as racking up 702 runs. The Tampa Bay Rays are sitting with an on-base percentage of .319 and a team batting average of .240 on the season. The Rays have a team slugging percentage of .422 and they are scoring 5.36 runs per contest (1st in the league). They have been rung up on 1,285 instances (2nd in MLB) and have 1,069 base hits.

The Rays have a WHIP of 1.174 and are the owners of a FIP of 3.75 as a team this year. They come in at 12th in baseball as a staff in total hits given up with 1,025. The Tampa Bay pitching staff have yielded 534 runs this year while having an ERA of 3.67 (481 earned runs relinquished). Their strikeout to walk ratio sits at 3.40 (1,222 strikeouts vs 359 walks). They have conceded 147 dingers and they surrender 4.08 runs per 9 innings (7th in the league).

Tampa Bay relievers hold an inherited score percentage of 30.5% of 128 inherited runners. Their relievers have stepped onto the hill 147 times in high leverage situations and also on 103 occasions with runners on. With 124 save situations, the Rays have 72 holds and also 15 blown saves. They are ranked 2nd in baseball with a save rate of 70.0%, and they have dispatched 415 relief pitchers to the hill on the year. Tampa Bay has had relief pitchers enter the contest in 50 save chances and they have walked away with 35 saves.

Out of their 10,614 innings on the diamond, the Rays have accumulated a defensive efficiency of 70.2% (9th in the majors). The Tampa Bay Rays have twisted 109 double plays and hold a fielding percentage of .986 (9th in professional baseball). The Rays have accrued 1,120 assists, 66 errors and have earned 3,538 putouts during this campaign.

Rasmussen (2-1 career win-loss record) has a 4.01 earned run average while giving up 7.8 hits per 9 innings. His K/BB ratio is 2.47 and he has faced 290 opposing batters during his pro baseball career. He has conceded a total of 30 ER's while holding a WHIP of 1.337 and being the owner of a FIP of 3.6. So far in his MLB career, Rasmussen has given up 58 hits while he has totaled 79 punch outs in 67 innings pitched.

Who will win tonight's baseball game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Boston (-116)

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