Boston Red Sox at Tampa Bay Rays Expert MLB Picks 9/23/2019

Monday, September 23, 2019

Tropicana Field

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Jhoulys Chacin vs. Blake Snell

J.D. Martinez and the Boston Red Sox (80-74, 3rd in AL East) travel to Tropicana Field on Monday where they'll meet the Tampa Bay Rays (92-63, 2nd in AL East). The Rays open this contest at -220 while the Red Sox are priced at +203. The total is set at 8.5.

The Red Sox have been a decent option for MLB wagerers, having gone 80-74-0 SU. Tampa Bay is covering 59.4% of the time, going 92-63-0 straight up.

Valuable Boston Red Sox Betting Trends

The Red Sox have been a great Over pick for O/U bettors, having gone 84-65-5.

The Red Sox are covering 56.6% of the time away from home, having gone 43-33-0 straight up.

Important Tampa Bay Rays Betting Trends

The Rays are covering 58.4% of the time at Tropicana Field, going 45-32-0 SU.

The Rays have been an inconsistent Under pick for O/U bettors, having gone 75-71-9.

Related: Gambling 101 - MLB Betting Tips - Tony George of Doc's Sports

Key Boston Red Sox Injuries

9/21/2019 Andrew Benintendi LF Thumb Probable for Sep 22
9/19/2019 Michael Chavis 1B Oblique Out for the season
9/18/2019 Steven Wright RP Elbow Out for the season
9/18/2019 David Price SP Wrist Out for the season
9/17/2019 Heath Hembree RP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Sep 24
9/1/2019 Chris Sale SP Elbow Out for the season
8/11/2019 Steve Pearce 1B Knee Out for the season
8/7/2019 Dustin Pedroia 2B Knee Out for the season
11/1/2019 Austin Maddox RP Shoulder Out for the season

Key Tampa Bay Rays Injuries

9/21/2019 Avisail Garcia RF Illness Probable for Sep 22
9/21/2019 Eric Sogard 2B Foot Expected to be out until at least Sep 25
9/18/2019 Brandon Lowe 2B Quadriceps Expected to be out until at least Sep 25
9/11/2019 Hoby Milner RP Neck Out for the season
9/5/2019 Jose Alvarado RP Elbow Out for the season
8/30/2019 Yandy Diaz 3B Foot Out for the season
4/2/2019 Jose Mujica SP Elbow Out for the season

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Red Sox have a 80-74 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Jhoulys Chacin has a 3-11 record with an earned run average of 5.66 and a WHIP of 1.55 this season. He has 93 strikeouts over his 97 innings pitched and he's given up 106 hits. He's allowed 9.8 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 5.5. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.34 and they have given up 569 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .235 against the bullpen and they've struck out 742 hitters and walked 303 batters. As a team, Boston allows 8.7 hits per nine innings while striking out 10 batters per nine innings. They are 19th in the league in team earned run average at 4.63. The Red Sox pitchers collectively have given up 1,351 base hits and 720 earned runs. They have allowed 201 home runs this season, ranking them 20th in the league. Boston as a pitching staff has walked 570 batters and struck out 1,559. They have walked 3.7 men per 9 innings while striking out 10 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.37 and their FIP as a unit is 4.24.

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

Hitting Statistics

As a team Boston is hitting .268, good for 4th in the league. The Red Sox hold a .467 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .339, which is good for 4th in baseball. They rank 1st in MLB with 9.5 hits per game. J.D. Martinez is hitting .299 with an on-base percentage of .377. He has 163 hits this season in 546 at bats with 97 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .559 and an OPS+ of 137. Rafael Devers is hitting .307 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .358. He has totaled 189 hits and he has driven in 112 men in 615 at bats. His OPS+ is 130 while his slugging percentage is at .553. The Red Sox have 1,470 hits, including 332 doubles and 236 home runs. Boston has walked 562 times so far this season and they have struck out 1,309 times as a unit. They have left 1,109 men on base and have a team OPS of .806. They score 5.54 runs per contest and have scored a total of 853 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Tampa Bay has a 92-63 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 4.19, Blake Snell has a 6-7 record and a 1.22 WHIP. He has 140 strikeouts over the 103 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 91 hits. He's allowing 8 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.32. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.75 and they have given up 636 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .229 against the Rays bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 771 batters and walked 250 opposing hitters. As a team, Tampa Bay allows 7.8 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.8 batters per nine innings. They are 3rd in the league in team earned run average at 3.66. The Rays pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,222 base knocks and 573 earned runs this season. They have given up 175 home runs this year, which ranks 30th in Major League Baseball. Tampa Bay as a staff has walked 428 hitters and struck out 1,542 batters. They give up a walk 2.7 times per 9 innings while they strike out 9.8 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.17 while their FIP as a staff is 3.67.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .254, good for 12th in the league. The Rays hold a .431 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .326, which is good for 13th in baseball. They rank 10th in MLB with 8.8 hits per contest. Austin Meadows comes into this matchup batting .288 with an OBP of .360. He has 146 hits this year along with 88 RBI in 507 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .562 with an OPS+ of 142. Tommy Pham is hitting .276 this season and he has an OBP of .373. He has collected 150 hits in 543 at bats while driving in 66 runs. He has an OPS+ of 121 and a slugging percentage of .453. The Rays as a unit have 1,371 base hits, including 282 doubles and 204 homers. Tampa Bay has walked 520 times this year and they have struck out on 1,414 occasions. They have had 1,086 men left on base and have an OPS of .757. They have scored 4.79 runs per game and totaled 742 runs this season.

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

Josh's Pick: Take the Rays (-220)

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