Boston Red Sox vs Tampa Bay Rays Prediction, Preview and Odds - 09/18/2026

Game Time: 7:10 pm ET, Friday, September 18, 2026

Venue:  Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, FL

Where to Watch:  ESPN Unlimited, MLB TV

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Red Sox +105, Rays -125; Over/Under:  7.5 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Red Sox +105, Rays -125; Over/Under:  7.5 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Red Sox +105, Rays -125; Over/Under:  7.5 runs

Boston Red Sox:  82-70 (3rd place, AL East)

Tampa Bay Rays:  93-59 (1st place, AL East)

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Boston Red Sox:  5-5 last 10

Tampa Bay Rays:  8-2 last 10

The Red Sox won their 3-game series against the Kansas City Royals 2-1. They enter this game with an 82-70 record overall and have a road record of 44-33. This is the series opener of a 3-game series with the Rays on Friday with the series finale of their series against the Texas Rangers still to be played on Thursday. The Red Sox lost the series opener on Tuesday and the 2nd game on Wednesday. Their offense ranks 9th in the MLB with a .723 OPS. Sonny Gray is their starting pitcher on Thursday while Ranger Suarez is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 7-4 with a 3.33 ERA this season. His team won their last 2 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season appearance, he allowed 1 ER, 1 HR, and 0 BB with 8 SO on 5 hits through 7 IP against the Kansas City Royals.

The Rays are entering this series off a win and completed the sweep in their 3-game series against the Athletics 3-0 in their last series. They enter this game with a 93-59 record overall and have a home record of 53-25. This is the 1st game of a 3-game series with the Red Sox on Friday. Their offense ranks 6th in the MLB with a .735 OPS. Drew Rasmussen was their starting pitcher on Thursday while Ian Seymour is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 9-6 with a 4.27 ERA this season. His team lost 5 of their last 6 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 2 earned runs, 1 homer, and 1 walk with 10 strikeouts on 4 hits through 6 innings pitched against the Houston Astros.

The current betting odds have the Red Sox listed as a slight underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Red Sox have looked good in their games this season with their 82-70 record overall which has them right in the middle of the AL East. They have been a good road team too with their 44-33 road record this year. Meanwhile, the Rays have looked great in their games this season with their 93-59 record overall which has them right at the top of the AL East with one of the best records in MLB. They have looked great in their own ballpark too with their 53-25 home record this season. The Rays have been rolling lately, going 8-2 in their last 10 games and sweeping the Athletics in their last series, but they aren't going to have their best option on the mound. The Red Sox are only 5-5 in their last 10 games, but they have the pitching to match the Rays and can take advantage of this pitching matchup. Suarez is on the mound for the Red Sox in this one and he has looked good this season. He is 7-4 with a 3.33 ERA and he hasn't been giving up many runs lately. He is coming off another great start giving up 1 earned run which has been a common theme for him and the team has been having lots of success with him too, winning 2 games in a row now with him starting. The Rays are going with Seymour in this one and he hasn't looked great this season. He is 9-6 with a 4.27 ERA and the team has been having a lot of trouble with him lately. He only gave up 2 earned runs in his last start, but that hasn't been a common theme for him this year and the team has lost 5 of their last 6 games with him starting. The best way to place a bet here is on the Red Sox to win this game. 

Red Sox Rays Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Friday, September 18, 2026 (7:10 pm ET start time) is Red Sox 4 Rays 2.

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Boston Red Sox: 130-113 (+20.2 units) on the moneyline in road games. 81-89 (+10.8 units) on the moneyline as an underdog of +100 or higher. 81-74 (+6.4 units) on the moneyline against division opponents. 30-18 UNDER against division opponents.

Tampa Bay Rays: 70-78 (-6.7 units) on the moneyline against division opponents. 160-154 (-10.3 units) on the moneyline vs. an AL team with an on base percentage .330 or worse. 101-121 (-13.3 units) on the moneyline when playing against a team with a winning record. 29-17 UNDER when playing against a team with a winning record.

Boston Red Sox:  A. Seigler (2B) Ten Day IL - Right wrist. E. White (CF) Ten Day IL - Foot. C. Rafaela (CF) Ten Day IL - Quadriceps. E. Rivera (SP) Sixty Day IL - Back. T. Guerrero (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Shoulder. J. Slaten (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Elbow. M. Yoshida (DH) Ten Day IL - Hamstring. C. Mead (3B) Ten Day IL - Hand. Z. Kelly (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. G. Crochet (SP) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder. K. Crawford (SP) Sixty Day IL - Wrist. T. Casas (1B) Sixty Day IL - Knee. J. Oviedo (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. T. Houck (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow.

Tampa Bay Rays:  T. Wells (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Forearm. J. Melton (LF) Sixty Day IL - Hamstring. G. Cleavinger (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Forearm. S. McClanahan (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Forearm. M. Rodriguez (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Back. B. Williamson (2B) Ten Day IL - Hamstring. J. Heasley (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. G. Lux (LF) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder. R. Pepiot (SP) Sixty Day IL - Hip. E. Uceta (RP) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder.

“We're going through it a little bit. We didn't create a ton of opportunities. Obviously, Willson with a big swing to give us the lead, and only a couple other chances. That's it. So really, [getting] three runs on the board with only three hits was good in that sense. But just not creating a ton of opportunities for ourselves today.” - Chad Tracy after his team’s loss against the Rangers in their game on Wednesday. 

“I keep telling our guys: So long as we take care of business, it doesn’t matter. All we can do is play who’s on our schedule here tonight, and if we win tonight, it doesn’t matter what they did.” - Drew Rasmussen after their win against the A’s in their game on Wednesday. 

Roman Anthony (L) LF

Jahmai Jones (R) DH

Wilyer Abreu (L) RF

Willson Contreras (R) 1B

Adley Rutschman (S) C

Trevor Story (R) SS

Jarren Duran (L) CF

Caleb Durbin (R) 3B

Nick Sogard (S) 2B

Yandy Díaz (R) DH

Jonathan Aranda (L) 1B

Junior Caminero (R) 3B

Liam Hicks (L) C

Jonny DeLuca (R) CF

Chandler Simpson (L) LF

Ryan Vilade (R) RF

Richie Palacios (L) 2B

Taylor Walls (S) SS

Batting Average:  Jake Rogers (.500)

Hits:  Ceddanne Rafaela (151)

Home Runs:  Willson Contreras (27)

RBI:  Willson Contreras (81)

Stolen Bases:  Jarren Duran (19)

Wins:  Sonny Gray (17)

Saves:  Aroldis Chapman (34)

ERA:  Alec Gamboa (1.24)

Batting Average:  Chandler Simpson (.311)

Hits:  Yandy Díaz (173)

Home Runs:  Junior Caminero (41)

RBI:  Junior Caminero (96)

Stolen Bases:  Chandler Simpson (44)

Wins:  Drew Rasmussen (15)

Saves:  Bryan Baker (40)

ERA:  Tyler Wells (1.50)

Managers:

Boston Red Sox: Chad Tracy (Interim)

Tampa Bay Rays: Kevin Cash (12th season)