The Tampa Bay Rays are looking to extend their franchise-record winning streak to nine games on Tuesday when they face the Boston Red Sox. The Rays won the series opener Monday 6-1 and are now favored at home to win on Tuesday with a Moneyline of -135. Meanwhile, the struggling Red Sox have a Moneyline of +115 for Tuesday’s game.
With eight straight wins, the Rays remain tied with the Dodgers for the second-most wins in the majors. They also remain a comfortable seven games ahead of the Yankees in the AL East. They’ve already won 20 games in August and with a win on Tuesday will finish the month 21-6.
As for the Red Sox, they’ve spent the month of August spiraling out of control. It’s hard to believe that not long ago Boston was neck and neck with Tampa atop the AL East because the Red Sox are now nine games behind the Rays and losers of seven of their last 13 games. To make matters worse, the Red Sox are dealing with a COVID outbreak in the clubhouse that has forced several players to the IL.
Who Knows?
At the end of Monday’s game, Boston manager Alex Cora wasn’t sure who the team’s starting pitcher for Tuesday’s game would be. Brad Peacock, who was acquired in a trade with Cleveland on Monday, could be a candidate to start. The Red Sox could also use their bullpen to get through Tuesday’s game, although potential long man Martin Perez and closer Matt Barnes are among the players on the IL because of COVID.
The silver lining is that most of Boston’s key hitters have thus far avoided testing positive for COVID or being forced to quarantine. However, the likes of Enrique Hernandez, Christian Arroyo, and Danny Santana are all on the IL, which will hurt some of Boston’s flexibility. The Red Sox aren’t also getting a lot from J.D. Martinez and Xander Bogaerts right now, leaving Rafael Devers and Kyle Schwarber to carry the lineup.
Business As Usual
While the Red Sox struggle just to field a team, it’s business as usual for the Rays with Ryan Yarbrough getting the start. The lefty has been solid if unspectacular this year, going 7-4 with a 4.57 ERA over 18 starts and six relief appearances. He rarely goes beyond four or five innings and gave up five runs in five innings when he faced the Red Sox last month, so Tampa’s bullpen will have to do plenty of work.
Of course, the Rays are also one of the hottest offensive teams in baseball right now, averaging 6.9 runs per game during their current winning streak. Brandon Lowe and Mike Zunino have provided a power threat for Tampa’s lineup all season, combining for 57 homers. The likes of Wander Franco, Yandy Diaz, and Joey Wendle are also in the midst of a hot streak, making the Tampa lineup tough to traverse for any pitcher.
Not in the Cards
Even if there are some concerns with Yarbrough on the mound, there’s far too much working against the Red Sox in this game. It seems unlikely that the unknown pitchers the Red Sox send to the mound will be able to cool off Tampa’s lineup. Bet on the Rays to make it nine in a row on Tuesday.
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