Tampa Bay Rays vs Boston Red Sox Prediction, 8/12/2021 MLB Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Tampa Bay Rays vs Boston Red Sox

Date: Thursday, August 12, 2021

Location: Fenway Park in Boston, MA

TV: NESN

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

Drew Rasmussen and the Tampa Bay Rays (69-44, 1st in AL East) are headed to Fenway Park on Thursday where they'll take on the Boston Red Sox (65-50, 2nd in AL East). The Red Sox open this contest at -105 while the Rays are coming in at -116. The total opens at 10. The pitchers taking the mound are Drew Rasmussen and Nick Pivetta.

Tampa Bay has a slugging percentage of .412 and have been rung up 1,116 times, while taking a walk on 417 occasions. They have compiled 540 RBI's in addition to 894 base knocks on the campaign, and their team batting average is at .235. The Rays have compiled 193 two-baggers as a squad and have smacked 147 baseballs out of the park. They have earned a total of 570 runs while holding a team OBP of .317. As a team, the Tampa Bay Rays are scoring 5.1 runs per outing, which has them at 4th in baseball.

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The Rays have compiled a team earned run average of 3.59 over the course of the season (5th in baseball), and the staff has struck out 1,055 batters. Their pitching staff has walked 308 opposing batters and their FIP sits at 3.72 as a team for the season. They have a K/BB ratio of 3.43 and the pitching staff sits with a WHIP of 1.16. Rays pitchers have conceded 125 long balls and 449 total runs (9th in the league).

The Rays have sent 360 relievers to the mound on the season. The relief pitchers have inherited 112 base runners so far this year with 30.4% of those players ended up scoring. They have earned 29 saves on the campaign and have blown 13 out of their 42 save opportunities. The Rays relief pitchers have recorded a save rate of 69.0% and has entered the game in 109 save situations. The bullpen have earned 65 holds this year (6th in MLB). Rays pitchers have entered the game with runners on 92 times in addition to having 134 appearances in high leverage situations.

The Rays have turned 70.4% of balls in play into outs in their 9,081 innings on the diamond, which has them sitting 7th in professional baseball. The Tampa Bay Rays have amassed 3,027 putouts on the year, as well as 961 assists and 59 errors. Their fielding rate is holding at .985 which puts them in 8th in professional baseball, and they have turned 728 double plays.

Rasmussen has taken the ball for 54 innings and has totaled 71 K's in his pro baseball career. His ERA is 4.64 (28 ER's allowed) and his WHIP is 1.472. He has conceded 52 hits (8.6 hits per nine innings) and has had 28 walks. Rasmussen (2-1 career mark) has earned a FIP of 3.78 while facing 242 batters in the majors.

The Red Sox hold a slugging % of .435 and they score 4.83 runs per contest (8th in MLB). They have put up 235 doubles, while getting a free base 328 times and scoring 551 runs. Boston has accounted for 141 HRs so far this season as well as 518 runs batted in. They have been rung up on 986 occasions (16th in MLB) and are sitting with 988 hits. The Boston Red Sox have a team OBP of .320 in addition to a batting average of .257 for the year.

The Boston pitching staff have surrendered 518 runs this year while having a team ERA of 4.27 (472 earned runs surrendered). They have allowed 120 long balls and they surrender 4.69 runs per 9 innings (15th in MLB). The Red Sox have a team WHIP of 1.382 in addition to having a FIP of 3.93 as a squad on the season. Their K/BB ratio comes in at 2.77 (1,055 strikeouts against 381 walks). They sit at 28th in MLB as a staff in total hits relinquished with 993.

Boston relievers hold an inherited score percentage of 31.3% out of their 176 inherited runners. Their bullpen pitchers have stepped onto the hill 126 times in high leverage situations in addition to 113 occasions with runners on base. Sitting with 124 save situations, the Red Sox have earned 68 holds and also 16 blown saves. They are currently ranked 4th in the league with a save percentage of 69.2%, and they have dispatched 377 relief pitchers onto the diamond for the season. Boston has had bullpen pitchers step onto the mound in 52 save chances and they have tallied 36 saves.

The Boston Red Sox have turned 107 double plays and have notched a fielding percentage of .982 (28th in MLB). The Red Sox have 1,012 assists, 74 errors and have amassed 2,983 putouts on the campaign. In 8,949 innings on the diamond, the Red Sox hold a defensive efficiency of 65.8% (30th in baseball).

During his pro baseball career, Pivetta has conceded 528 base hits while tallying 565 K's in 524 innings pitched. Pivetta (29-35 career mark) has earned a 5.16 earned run average and has allowed 9.1 hits per nine innings. He has conceded 301 ER's while earning a WHIP of 1.393 and a FIP of 4.5. He has a K/BB ratio of 2.78 and he has gone up against 2,269 batters in his career.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Tampa Bay (-116)

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