Boston Red Sox vs Tampa Bay Rays Prediction, 8/31/2021 MLB Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Boston Red Sox vs Tampa Bay Rays

Date: Tuesday, August 31, 2021

Location: Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, FL

TV: Bally Sports Sun

Odds/Point Spread: Boston (+110) Tampa Bay (-141)

Ryan Yarbrough and the Tampa Bay Rays (82-48, 1st in AL East) play the Boston Red Sox (75-57, 3rd in AL East) at Tropicana Field on Tuesday. The Red Sox open this contest at +110 while the Rays are priced at -141. The over/under opens at 8.5. The expected starting pitchers will be Garrett Richards and Ryan Yarbrough.

The Red Sox have tallied 272 doubles as a squad and have smacked 175 balls out of the park. Boston is slugging .446 and have been called out on strikes 1,117 times, while being walked on 405 occasions. As a squad, the Boston Red Sox are putting up 5.1 runs per contest, which puts them at 4th in MLB. They have accrued 630 runs batted in and 1,154 base knocks for the year, and their batting average comes in at .259. They have notched a total of 669 runs while holding a team OBP of .326.

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The Red Sox have compiled a team ERA of 4.29 this season (15th in the league), and the staff has rung up 1,235 hitters. Their pitching staff has walked 446 opposing batters and their FIP sits at 3.97 as a squad for the year. They have accrued a K/BB ratio of 2.77 and their pitching staff has a team WHIP of 1.39. Red Sox pitchers have surrendered 143 home runs and also 606 total runs (17th in baseball).

The Red Sox have sent 446 relief pitchers to the hill for the year. The relief pitchers have inherited 214 runners on the campaign with 30.8% of those players crossed the plate. They have compiled 40 saves over the course of the season and have not converted 20 out of their 60 save opportunities. The Red Sox relief pitchers have recorded a save percentage of 66.7% and has stepped onto the mound in 144 save situations. The relief pitchers have a total of 79 holds so far this season (4th in baseball). Red Sox pitchers have stepped onto the hill with runners on base 138 times as well as having 151 appearances in high leverage situations.

The Red Sox have turned 65.8% of balls in play into outs out of 10,371 innings on the diamond, which ranks them 30th in baseball. The Boston Red Sox have notched a total of 3,457 putouts at this point in the season, as well as 1,159 assists and 88 errors. Their fielding rate is holding steady at .981 which puts them in 28th in MLB, and have accumulated 917 double plays.

Richards has pitched in 925 innings and has 801 strikeouts in his MLB career. Richards (53-48 career mark) is the owner of a FIP of 3.84 while going up against 3,922 batters during his time in the majors. His earned run average is 3.78 (389 ER's allowed) and his WHIP is 1.299. He has surrendered 860 hits (8.4 hits per 9 innings) and has 342 free passes.

The Rays have a slugging percentage of .422 and they are recording 5.35 runs per game (2nd in MLB). They have tallied 233 doubles, while getting a free base 474 times and putting up 696 runs. Tampa Bay has hit 177 home runs on the season as well as 658 RBIs. They have struck out on 1,277 occasions (2nd in MLB) and have earned 1,061 base hits. The Tampa Bay Rays have accounted for an OBP of .319 and a batting average of .240 for the season.

The Rays have a WHIP of 1.176 with a FIP of 3.75 as a team on the campaign. They currently have a K/BB ratio of 3.39 (1,212 strikeouts vs 357 walks). They come in at 12th in the league as a pitching staff in total hits allowed with 1,019. They have yielded 146 long balls and they allow 4.10 runs per 9 innings (7th in baseball). The Tampa Bay pitching staff have relinquished 533 runs over the course of the season while holding an ERA of 3.69 (480 earned runs conceded).

Tampa Bay has called on bullpen pitchers to enter the contest in 50 save opportunities and they have tallied 35 saves. They sit at 2nd in baseball with a save percentage of 70.0%, and they have dispatched 412 relievers onto the diamond for the season. Their bullpen pitchers have stepped onto the mound 147 times in high leverage situations and also on 102 occasions with runners on. Tampa Bay relief pitchers have an inherited score percentage of 30.7% out of their 127 inherited base runners. With 122 save situations, the Rays have accrued 70 holds and 15 blown saves.

The Tampa Bay Rays have turned 108 double plays and have a fielding rate of .986 (9th in professional baseball). The Rays have racked up 1,112 assists, 66 errors and have accumulated 3,511 putouts this year. Out of their 10,533 innings played, the Rays have a defensive efficiency of 70.1% (9th in the majors).

During his MLB career, Yarbrough has allowed 444 base hits while he has totaled 390 K's in 472 innings pitched. He has conceded 216 ER's while holding a WHIP of 1.161 and a FIP of 4.0. His K/BB ratio is 3.71 and he has gone up against 1,958 opposing batters during his career. Yarbrough (35-20 career win-loss mark) has a 4.11 earned run average and has allowed 8.5 hits per nine innings.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Boston (+110)

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