» MLB Picks » Boston Red Sox at Tampa Bay Rays MLB Picks & Predictions 9/22/2019

Boston Red Sox at Tampa Bay Rays MLB Picks & Predictions 9/22/2019

by Tony Sink - 9/21/2019

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Tropicana Field

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Nathan Eovaldi vs. Ryan Yarbrough

Rafael Devers and the Boston Red Sox (80-73, 3rd in AL East) are headed to Tropicana Field on Sunday where they'll meet the Tampa Bay Rays (91-63, 2nd in AL East). The line on this game has the Red Sox coming in at +159 and the Rays are at -169. The O/U has been set at 8.5.

The Red Sox have been decent for MLB wagerers, having gone 80-73-0 SU. Tampa Bay covers 59.1% of the time, going 91-63-0 straight up.

Valuable Boston Red Sox Betting Trends

The Red Sox have been a strong Over play for O/U bettors, having gone 84-65-4.

The Red Sox are covering 57.3% of the time as a visitor, having gone 43-32-0 straight up.

Important Tampa Bay Rays Betting Trends

Tampa Bay covers 57.9% of the time at Tropicana Field, going 44-32-0 SU.

The Rays have been a less than ideal Under play for O/U bettors, having gone 75-71-8.

Key Boston Red Sox Injuries

9/20/2019 J.D DH Groin Probable for Sep 21
9/20/2019 Andrew Benintendi LF Thumb Probable for Sep 21
9/19/2019 Michael Chavis 1B Oblique Out for the season
9/18/2019 David Price SP Wrist Out for the season
9/18/2019 Steven Wright RP Elbow 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

9/20/2019 Eric Sogard 2B Foot Probable for Sep 21
9/18/2019 Brandon Lowe 2B Quadriceps Expected to be out until at least Sep 25
9/17/2019 Yonny Chirinos SP Finger Expected to be out until at least Sep 21
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 80-73 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi has a 1-0 record with an earned run average of 6.19 and a WHIP of 1.61 this season. He has 61 strikeouts over his 56.2 innings pitched and he's given up 62 hits. He's allowed 9.8 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 5.92. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.33 and they have given up 561 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .234 against the bullpen and they've struck out 729 hitters and walked 301 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 1,342 base hits and 715 earned runs. They have allowed 199 home runs this season, ranking them 20th in the league. Boston as a pitching staff has walked 567 batters and struck out 1,544. 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 4.23.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Boston is hitting .269, good for 3rd in the league. The Red Sox hold a .468 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 .308 with an on-base percentage of .360. He has 188 hits this season in 610 at bats with 110 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .551 and an OPS+ of 130. 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 1,463 hits, including 331 doubles and 233 home runs. Boston has walked 560 times so far this season and they have struck out 1,293 times as a unit. They have left 1,104 men on base and have a team OPS of .807. They score 5.55 runs per contest and have scored a total of 849 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Tampa Bay has a 91-63 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 3.78, Ryan Yarbrough has a 11-4 record and a 0.94 WHIP. He has 112 strikeouts over the 133.1 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 108 hits. He's allowing 7.3 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.34. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.75 and they have given up 631 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .229 against the Rays bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 762 batters and walked 248 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 1,215 base knocks and 569 earned runs this season. They have given up 172 home runs this year, which ranks 30th in Major League Baseball. Tampa Bay as a staff has walked 426 hitters and struck out 1,526 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 3.66.

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 11th in MLB with 8.8 hits per contest. Tommy Pham comes into this matchup batting .278 with an OBP of .373. He has 150 hits this year along with 66 RBI in 540 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .456 with an OPS+ of 122. Austin Meadows is hitting .286 this season and he has an OBP of .358. He has collected 144 hits in 503 at bats while driving in 88 runs. He has an OPS+ of 141 and a slugging percentage of .563. The Rays as a unit have 1,362 base hits, including 280 doubles and 202 homers. Tampa Bay has walked 517 times this year and they have struck out on 1,399 occasions. They have had 1,080 men left on base and have an OPS of .757. They have scored 4.79 runs per game and totaled 737 runs this season.

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

Tony's Pick: Take the Red Sox (+159)

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Pick:	DRAW (+230)
Start:	May 3, 2025 @ 12:30 AM
Expert:	Doc's Sports

Analysis:

Comp Soccer pick from Doc’s Sports for Saturday: Spanish LaLiga Take Las Palmas/Valencia DRAW (+230) (12:30 p.m. EST, Saturday May 3) Valencia are the stronger side but they haven’t had the winning touch lately. They are coming off consecutive draws, and we think this one has a great chance to end up at a stalemate, and this is a great price for the draw. As of this writing, the under on total goals is juiced at -130 at 2.5, so a low scoring match is expected and we agree. So we have a couple chances at 0-0 or 1-1 for the under if it is indeed a low scoring match. Las Palmas has a single goal in their last two matches, and Valencia have scored one goal in three straight matches. We also like to target the draw in a likely low scoring match when the stronger team is the road side, and that is the case here on Saturday. Valencia have the second highest draw rate in LaLiga, as more than a third of their matches have ended tied. Again, nice value here and we think this one has a great chance to cash at a hefty price. Read More Read Less