Red Sox vs. Rays Prediction, Computer Picks, Odds & Pitching Matchup 8/26/2022

The Tampa Bay Rays (69-55) and Manuel Margot, coming off a four-hit game, are underdogs (+107) on the moneyline and will look to upset the Boston Red Sox (60-65) on Friday at 7:10 PM ET. Michael Wacha takes the mound for Boston while JT Chargois is Tampa Bay’s starter for the contest.

Red Sox vs. Rays Spread and Betting Line

Computer Predictions for Red Sox vs. Rays

After digging through all of the key trends and statistics for this matchup, our best bet is the Rays on the moneyline at +107. Our computer prediction sees the scoring going over the total of 8.5 runs.

Our computer pick: Tampa Bay Rays (+107) and Over (8.5)

Red Sox vs. Rays Game Info

• Boston Red Sox probable starting pitcher: Michael Wacha
• Tampa Bay Rays probable starting pitcher: JT Chargois
• Game Day: Friday, August 26, 2022
• Game Time: 7:10 PM ET
• Location: Boston, Massachusetts
• Stadium: Fenway Park

Boston Red Sox vs Tampa Bay Rays Pitching Matchup

Red Sox Starter Michael Wacha

• Wacha makes the start for the Red Sox, his 16th of the season. He is 8-1 with a 2.28 ERA and 63 strikeouts in 83 innings pitched.
• The righty’s most recent appearance came on Saturday against the Baltimore Orioles, when he went 5 2/3 scoreless innings while giving up four hits.
• In 15 games this season, the 31-year-old has amassed a 2.28 ERA and 6.8 strikeouts per nine innings, while allowing a batting average of .205 to opposing hitters.
• Wacha is looking to collect his fifth quality start of the season in this game.
• Wacha will look to extend a six-game streak of lasting five or more innings (he’s averaging 5.2 frames per appearance).
• He will match up with a Rays offense that ranks 20th in MLB with 990 total hits (on a .239 batting average). The squad also slugs a collective .379 (21st in MLB) with 111 total home runs (23rd in MLB).
• Wacha has pitched five innings, giving up two earned runs on three hits while striking out three against the Rays this season.

Rays Starter JT Chargois

• Chargois will make his first start of the season for the Rays.
• The 31-year-old righty will start for the first time this year after coming out of the bullpen .
• He has pitched in three games this season with an ERA of .00, a 3 strikeout to walk ratio and a WHIP of .750.
• The Red Sox rank 11th in MLB with 558 runs scored this season. They have a .255 batting average this campaign with 116 home runs (19th in the league).

Red Sox Betting Picks & Insights

• The Red Sox have won 36, or 56.2%, of the 64 games they’ve played as favorites this season.
• Boston has a record of 23-19 in games where bookmakers favor them by at least -128 on the moneyline.
• The oddsmakers’ moneyline implies a 56.1% chance of a victory for the Red Sox.
• Boston and its opponents have gone over the total this season in 56 of their 125 opportunities.
• The Red Sox are 63-62-0 against the spread in their 125 chances this season.

Rays Betting Picks & Insights

• The Rays have been victorious in 17, or 43.6%, of the 39 contests they have been chosen as underdogs in this season.
• This season, Tampa Bay has come away with a win 10 times in 23 chances when named as an underdog of at least +107 or worse on the moneyline.
• The Rays have an implied victory probability of 48.3% according to the moneyline set by oddsmakers for this matchup.
• Contests with Tampa Bay have gone over the total set by bookmakers in 57 of 124 chances this season.
• In 124 games with a line this season, the Rays have a mark of 59-65-0 against the spread.

Red Sox Leaders & Batting Stats

• Rafael Devers is the bat to watch in the Red Sox lineup, leading the team in batting average (.300), home runs (25), and RBI (65).
• In all of Major League Baseball, Devers ranks 19th in home runs and 32nd in RBI.
• Devers carries a five-game hitting streak into this matchup. During his last five outings he is batting .381 with a double, a walk and two RBI.
• Xander Bogaerts has a club-high .300 batting average.
• Bogaerts is 142nd in homers and 84th in RBI among all major league hitters this year.
• Alex Verdugo has 30 doubles, seven home runs and 29 walks while hitting .280.
• Tommy Pham has 19 doubles, a triple, 14 home runs and 45 walks while hitting .243.

Rays Leaders & Batting Stats

• Yandy Diaz paces the Rays with a .275 batting average.
• Among all hitters in the majors, Diaz is 197th in home runs and 106th in RBI.
• Randy Arozarena has been a reliable source of runs this year, leading the lineup with 17 home runs and 66 RBI.
• Among all major league hitters, Arozarena is 52nd in home runs and 30th in RBI.
• Harold Ramirez has 18 doubles, five home runs and 16 walks while batting .330.
• Isaac Paredes is batting .219 with 13 doubles, 16 home runs and 26 walks.