The Tampa Bay Rays travel North to Boston to take on the Red Sox in Game 1 of a doubleheader! We’ve got our prediction and best bet for the day-time matchup!
Let’s break down the game!
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Rays vs Red Sox Preview
After having Friday night’s game rained out, the AL East rivals will play a doubleheader on Saturday. To add to the excitement of an extra game, the Rays will put Trevor Kelley on the bump, making his first start of the season.
He’s been a reliever but will try to step up for his squad today. Kelley is facing Garrett Whitlock who hasn’t necessarily been stellar this year.
Matchup Information
- Venue & Location: Fenway Park (Boston, MA)
- Date: Saturday, June 3rd, 2023
- First Pitch: 1:10pm Eastern
- Broadcast: NESN
Pitching Matchup
- Tampa Bay Rays: Trevor Kelley (0-1, 4.91 ERA)
- Boston Red Sox: Garrett Whitlock (2-2, 5.14 ERA)
Betting Odds
Odds courtesy of BetOnline
Runline
- Tampa Bay Rays -1.5 (+155)
- Boston Red Sox +1.5 (-190)
Moneyline
- Tampa Bay Rays -105
- Boston Red Sox -115
Total
- Over 9 (-105)
- Under 9 (-115)
Rays vs Red Sox Prediction & Best Bet
We need to keep in mind this will only be a seven inning game, however let’s not pretend the books haven’t already adjusted their lines.
I’ve targeted a side and player prop in this one.
Rays ML (-102) BetOnline
I’ll take the bait and take the Rays with this short of a line. They’re the best team in baseball, ranking 2nd in runs and 5th in hits on offense. The Rays also lead the league in OBP, Slugging %, Home Runs, and Stolen Bases.
Even with a new starter on the bump, I trust the Rays bats to shell Garrett Whitlock, which brings us to our prop.
Garrett Whitlock Over 4.5 Hits Allowed (-160) BetMGM
Whitlock has only started 4 games this year, which includes one start in Tampa Bay. In that game, Whitlock gave up 5 ER on 8 Hits, but he still struck out 5 batters.
In his other starts, Whitlock allowed 3 hits to the Angels and D-Backs, and 8 hits to the Brewers. His lone home start was against the Angels.
Whitlock is in the 83rd percentile for swinging strike percentage, meaning he makes a lot of guys look foolish. However, that also means more chances for him to hang a breaking ball that the Rays can take advantage of.
Obviously this is juicy, but I’m sure the Rays can knock five hits off this guy before he gets pulled.
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