Tampa Bay Rays at Boston Red Sox 8/17/2018 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Friday, August 17, 2018

Fenway Park

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Ryne Stanek vs. Brian Johnson

The Tampa Bay Rays head to Fenway Park on Friday, August 17, 2018 to take on the Boston Red Sox. The expected starting pitchers are Ryne Stanek for the Rays and Brian Johnson for the Red Sox.

The odds for this matchup have Tampa Bay at +174 and Boston at -185. The Rays have a 51-65-4 over/under mark and a 67-53-0 run line record. The Red Sox are 72-50-0 against the run line and have a 56-61-5 over/under record.

Valuable Tampa Bay Rays Betting Trends

The Tampa Bay Rays are 51-65-4 against the over/under

The Tampa Bay Rays are 67-53-0 against the run line

Important Boston Red Sox Betting Trends

The Boston Red Sox are 56-61-5 against the over/under

The Boston Red Sox are 72-50-0 against the run line

Key Tampa Bay Rays Injuries

08/16/18 CF Tommy Pham Foot 10-day DL (08/03); expected to be activated Thursday vs New York Yankees
08/04/18 SS Daniel Robertson Thumb 10-day DL (08/04)
07/11/18 P Jose Alvarado Personal is out indefinitely
07/04/18 P Vidal Nuno Hamstring 10-day DL (07/04)
06/30/18 P Wilmer Font Side 60-day DL (06/30)
06/18/18 3B Christian Arroyo Oblique 10-day DL (06/17)
04/11/18 P Jose De Leon Elbow 60-day DL (03/28)

Key Boston Red Sox Injuries

08/15/18 2B Ian Kinsler Hamstring 10-day DL (08/04); expected to be activated Friday vs Tampa BAy Rays
07/15/18 P Eduardo Rodriguez Ankle 10-day DL (07/15)
07/08/18 C Christian Vazquez Finger 10-day DL (07/08)
06/27/18 P Steven Wright Knee 10-day DL (06/23)
06/02/18 2B Dustin Pedroia Knee 60-day DL (05/30)
05/15/18 P Carson Smith Shoulder 60-day DL (05/15)
03/30/18 P Austin Maddox Shoulder 60-day DL (03/29)
03/26/18 SS Marco Hernandez Shoulder 60-day DL (03/29)

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Rays have a 61-59 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Ryne Stanek has a 1-3 record with an earned run average of 2.45 and a WHIP of 1.01 this year. He has 62 strikeouts over his 47.2 innings pitched and he's given up 28 hits. He allows 5.3 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.45. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.84 and they have given up 502 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .227 against the bullpen and they've struck out 537 hitters and walked 216 batters. As a team, Tampa Bay allows 7.7 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.7 batters per nine innings. They are 9th in the league in team earned run average at 3.8. The Rays pitchers collectively have given up 918 base hits and 454 earned runs. They have allowed 122 home runs this season, ranking them 25th in the league. Tampa Bay as a pitching staff has walked 388 batters and struck out 1,040. They have walked 3.2 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.7 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.21 and their FIP as a unit is 3.90.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Tampa Bay is hitting .253, good for 9th in the league. The Rays hold a .393 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .325, which is good for 9th in baseball. They rank 14th in MLB with 8.6 hits per game. C.J. Cron is hitting .247 with an on-base percentage of .317. He has 98 hits this season in 396 at bats with 56 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .467 and an OPS+ of 117. Mallex Smith is hitting .297 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .372. He has totaled 102 hits and he has driven in 29 men in 343 at bats. His OPS+ is 125 while his slugging percentage is at .426. The Rays have 1,027 hits, including 193 doubles and 109 home runs. Tampa Bay has walked 380 times so far this season and they have struck out 1,026 times as a unit. They have left 833 men on base and have a team OPS of .718. They score 4.18 runs per contest and have scored a total of 502 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Boston has a 86-36 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 3.95, Brian Johnson has a 3-3 record and a 1.38 WHIP this season. He has 70 strikeouts over the 73 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 76 hits. He allows 9.4 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.23. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.39 and they have given up 350 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .228 against the Red Sox bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 438 batters and walked 165 opposing hitters. As a team, Boston allows 7.9 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.6 batters per nine innings. They are 2nd in the league in team earned run average at 3.49. The Red Sox pitchers as a team have surrendered 965 base knocks and 428 earned runs this season. They have given up 123 home runs this year, which ranks 24th in Major League Baseball. Boston as a staff has walked 374 hitters and struck out 1,183 batters. They give up a walk 3.1 times per 9 innings while they strike out 9.6 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.21 while their FIP as a staff is 3.61.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .270, good for 1st in the league. The Red Sox hold a .463 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .339, which is good for 2nd in baseball. They rank 1st in MLB with 9.4 hits per contest. Andrew Benintendi comes into this matchup batting .298 with an OBP of .380. He has 131 hits this year along with 70 RBI in 440 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .500 with an OPS+ of 135. J.D. Martinez is hitting .333 this season and he has an OBP of .402. He has collected 147 hits in 442 at bats while driving in 104 runs. He has an OPS+ of 181 and a slugging percentage of .663. The Red Sox as a unit have 1,147 base hits, including 270 doubles and 168 homers. Boston has walked 419 times this year and they have struck out on 936 occasions. They have had 843 men left on base and have an OPS of .802. They have scored 5.45 runs per game and totaled 665 runs this season.

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

Tony's Pick: Take the Rays +174

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