Rays vs. Red Sox Prediction, Betting Tips & Picks 4/22/2022

Seeking their eighth win of the year, the Tampa Bay Rays (7-5) are favorites (-134) on the moneyline when they take on the Boston Red Sox (6-6) Friday at 7:10 PM ET. Corey Kluber starts for Tampa Bay while Michael Wacha is Boston’s starter for the contest.

Rays vs. Red Sox Spread and Betting Line

Computer Predictions for Rays vs. Red Sox

Our computer pick: Boston Red Sox (+114) and Over (8.5)

Rays vs. Red Sox Game Info

• Tampa Bay Rays probable starting pitcher: Corey Kluber
• Boston Red Sox probable starting pitcher: Michael Wacha
• Game Day: Friday, April 22, 2022
• Game Time: 7:10 PM ET
• Location: St. Petersburg, Florida
• Stadium: Tropicana Field

Tampa Bay Rays vs Boston Red Sox Pitching Matchup

Rays Starter Corey Kluber

• Kluber (0-0) takes the mound for the Rays to make his third start this season.
• The righty last pitched on Saturday against the Chicago White Sox, when he went five innings, allowing two earned runs while giving up four hits.
• In two appearances this season, he has put up a 1.86 ERA and averages 8.4 strikeouts per nine innings while opposing batters are hitting .200 against him.
• He will take the hill against a Red Sox team that is batting .228 as a unit (17th in MLB). It is also slugging a collective .362 (14th in MLB) with nine total home runs (19th in MLB).

Red Sox Starter Michael Wacha

• Wacha will get the start for the Red Sox, his third of the season.
• The right-hander last pitched on Sunday against the Minnesota Twins, throwing five innings without allowing a run.
• He has pitched in two games this season with an ERA of .96, a 1.8 strikeout to walk ratio and a WHIP of .857.
• Wacha has one start of five or more innings this season in two chances. He averages 4.2 innings per outing.
• The Rays are batting .256 this season, fourth in MLB. They have a team slugging percentage of .410 (seventh in the league) with nine home runs.

Rays Betting Picks & Insights

• The Rays have entered the game as favorites nine times this season and won six of those games.
• Tampa Bay has a record of 4-3 when favored by -134 or more by bookmakers this season.
• The implied probability of a win from the Rays, based on the moneyline, is 57.3%.
• Tampa Bay and its opponents have gone over the total this season in five of their 12 opportunities.
• In 12 games with a spread this season, the Rays are 6-6-0 ATS.

Red Sox Betting Picks & Insights

• The Red Sox have been chosen as underdogs in five games this year and have walked away with the win one time (20%) in those games.
• This year, Boston has won one of three games when listed as at least +114 or worse on the moneyline.
• The Red Sox have an implied victory probability of 46.7% according to the moneyline set for this matchup.
• Boston and their opponents have hit the over in three of their 12 games with a total set by oddsmakers this season.
• The Red Sox are 7-5-0 against the spread in their 12 games that had a posted line this season.

Rays Leaders & Batting Stats

• The Rays best hitter thus far this season is Wander Franco, who’s hitting at a team-leading .362 rate along with one home run and eight RBI.
• In all of the majors, Franco ranks 78th in homers and 25th in RBI.
• Franco takes a hitting streak of five games into this matchup. In his last five games he is batting .409 with four doubles, a home run and four RBI.
• Ji-Man Choi is hitting .375 with three doubles, two home runs and 10 walks.
• Brandon Lowe has launched a team-high three home runs.
• Francisco Mejia has made the most of his opportunities as he leads his team with 10 runs batted in.
• Mejia has recorded at least one hit in two straight games. During his last five outings he is hitting .368 with a double, two home runs and nine RBI.

Red Sox Leaders & Batting Stats

• Rafael Devers is batting .300 with four doubles, two home runs and two walks, while getting on base at a rate of .327.
• Devers’ home run total places him 30th in MLB, and he ranks 38th in RBI.
• Alex Verdugo has hit three home runs with nine RBI, leading the team in both categories.
• Among all major league hitters, Verdugo ranks 13th in home runs and 17th in RBI.
• Kike Hernandez is hitting .174 with six doubles, a home run and six walks.
• J.D. Martinez is hitting .278 with five doubles, a home run and five walks.

Betting Tips for Rays vs. Red Sox

After digging through all of the key stats and trends for this matchup, our best bet is the Red Sox on the moneyline at +114. Our computer prediction sees the scoring going over the total of 8.5 runs.