Boston Red Sox at Tampa Bay Rays MLB Picks & Predictions 9/20/2019

Friday, September 20, 2019

Tropicana Field

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Rick Porcello vs. Charlie Morton

Tropicana Field is the site where Tommy Pham and the Tampa Bay Rays (90-63, 2nd in AL East) will play the Boston Red Sox (79-72, 3rd in AL East) on Friday. The Red Sox open this contest at +173 while the Rays are coming in at -183. The total has been set at 8.5.

The Red Sox have been inconsistent for Vegas oddsmakers, having gone 79-72-0 SU. Tampa Bay is covering 58.8% of the time, going 90-63-0 straight up.

Valuable Boston Red Sox Betting Trends

The Red Sox have been a great Over bet for O/U MLB wagerers, having gone 82-65-4.

Boston is covering 58.1% of the time away from home, having gone 43-31-0 straight up.

Important Tampa Bay Rays Betting Trends

Tampa Bay is covering 57.3% of the time at Tropicana Field, going 43-32-0 SU.

The Rays have been a solid Over bet for O/U MLB wagerers, having gone 74-71-8.

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

Key Boston Red Sox Injuries

9/19/2019 Sam Travis 1B Concussion
9/18/2019 Steven Wright RP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Sep 17
9/18/2019 J.D DH Groin
9/18/2019 David Price SP Wrist Expected to be out until at least Sep 21
9/18/2019 Michael Chavis 1B Oblique Out for the season
9/17/2019 Heath Hembree RP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Sep 25
9/17/2019 Mookie Betts RF Foot Expected to be out until at least Sep 17
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

9/18/2019 Brandon Lowe 2B Quadriceps Expected to be out until at least Sep 23
9/17/2019 Yonny Chirinos SP Finger Expected to be out until at least Sep 20
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 79-72 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Rick Porcello has a 13-12 record with an earned run average of 5.77 and a WHIP of 1.44 this season. He has 129 strikeouts over his 162.1 innings pitched and he's given up 189 hits. He's allowed 10.5 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 5.01. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.28 and they have given up 552 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .234 against the bullpen and they've struck out 716 hitters and walked 292 batters. As a team, Boston allows 8.7 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.9 batters per nine innings. They are 19th in the league in team earned run average at 4.65. The Red Sox pitchers collectively have given up 1,328 base hits and 708 earned runs. They have allowed 199 home runs this season, ranking them 20th in the league. Boston as a pitching staff has walked 556 batters and struck out 1,515. They have walked 3.6 men per 9 innings while striking out 9.9 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.37 and their FIP as a unit is 4.26.

Related: Get MLB tips & picks on all of today's games

Hitting Statistics

As a team Boston is hitting .269, good for 4th in the league. The Red Sox hold a .469 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .340, which is good for 3rd in baseball. They rank 1st in MLB with 9.6 hits per game. Rafael Devers is hitting .310 with an on-base percentage of .362. He has 186 hits this season in 600 at bats with 108 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .557 and an OPS+ of 132. J.D. Martinez is hitting .301 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .380. He has totaled 163 hits and he has driven in 97 men in 541 at bats. His OPS+ is 139 while his slugging percentage is at .564. The Red Sox have 1,446 hits, including 327 doubles and 231 home runs. Boston has walked 554 times so far this season and they have struck out 1,269 times as a unit. They have left 1,088 men on base and have a team OPS of .809. They score 5.56 runs per contest and have scored a total of 840 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Tampa Bay has a 90-63 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 3.16, Charlie Morton has a 15-6 record and a 1.10 WHIP. He has 223 strikeouts over the 182.1 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 148 hits. He's allowing 7.3 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 2.83. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.74 and they have given up 629 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .230 against the Rays bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 755 batters and walked 246 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 2nd in the league in team earned run average at 3.66. The Rays pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,208 base knocks and 565 earned runs this season. They have given up 170 home runs this year, which ranks 30th in Major League Baseball. Tampa Bay as a staff has walked 423 hitters and struck out 1,511 batters. They give up a walk 2.7 times per 9 innings while they strike out 9.8 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.18 while their FIP as a staff is 3.66.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .255, good for 12th in the league. The Rays hold a .432 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .326, which is good for 14th in baseball. They rank 10th in MLB with 8.8 hits per contest. Tommy Pham comes into this matchup batting .280 with an OBP of .376. He has 150 hits this year along with 66 RBI in 535 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .460 with an OPS+ of 123. Austin Meadows is hitting .289 this season and he has an OBP of .359. He has collected 144 hits in 499 at bats while driving in 88 runs. He has an OPS+ of 143 and a slugging percentage of .567. The Rays as a unit have 1,354 base hits, including 278 doubles and 202 homers. Tampa Bay has walked 512 times this year and they have struck out on 1,387 occasions. They have had 1,072 men left on base and have an OPS of .758. They have scored 4.78 runs per game and totaled 732 runs this season.

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

Tony's Pick: Take the Red Sox (+173)

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