Boston Red Sox vs Tampa Bay Rays Prediction, Preview and Odds - 10/07/2021

Game Time: 8:07 pm ET, Thursday, October 7, 2021

Venue:  Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, FL

Where to Watch:  Fox Sports 1

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Red Sox +140, Rays -160; Over/Under:  7.5 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Red Sox +140, Rays -160; Over/Under:  8 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Red Sox NL, Rays NL; Over/Under:  NL runs

 

Boston Red Sox:  92-70 (3rd place, AL East)

Tampa Bay Rays:  100-62 (1st place, AL East)

 

Do not miss out on our expert handicapper analysis! Will Rogers is on a 27-6 (10*) BASEBALL RUN! Make sure you check out his picks and many more from the expert handicappers featured in the Shop Picks section.

 

Boston Red Sox:  5-5 last 10

Tampa Bay Rays:  7-3 last 10

 

 

 

The Red Sox are going into this game after beating out the New York Yankees on Tuesday night 6-2 in the AL Wild Card game. The Red Sox are now on a 4 game winning streak and have won 5 of their last 6 games coming into this one. This will be the series opener of a best-of-five series for the ALDS. Nathan Eovaldi was given the nod in the Wild Card game so Eduardo Rodriguez will be the starting pitcher on the mound for them in this game on Thursday. He is 13-8 with a 4.74 ERA this season. He has been credited with 2 straight wins and his team has won 3 of their last 4 games with him playing in the game. In his last start, he allowed 0 ER and 3 BB with 6 Ks on 5 hits through 5 IP against the Washington Nationals last Friday. He has seen the Rays lineup 4 times this season and he is 1-1 against them with 2 no-decisions while his team is 2-2 in those games. The last game he faced the Rays he allowed 6 runs. Rodriguez has made multiple playoff appearances but mostly as a reliever. He has only made 1 start in the postseason in his career and it was his last appearance. It was back in 2018 in the World Series against the Dodgers he allowed 4 runs but his team went on to win that game 9-6. Their offense has scored 22 runs in their last 4 games averaging over 5 runs scored per game in that span and they have allowed their opponents to score 12 runs against them in that same span allowing 3 runs per game.

 

The Rays are coming into this game after a few days of rest as they won their American League East division title and did not have to play in a Wild Card game. They lost their last game of the regular season, their series finale against the Yankees, but they have won 2 of their last 3 games, taking the other 2 games in that series against the Yankees. This will be the first game of the ALDS in a best-of-five series against the Red Sox. Michael Wacha was the starter against the Yankees in their last game so Shane McClanahan will be throwing the first pitch for them in this game on Thursday. He is 10-6 with a 3.43 ERA this season and also in his career as he is a rookie pitcher. He was credited with a win in his last start where there was a decision and his team has won their last 2 with him on the bump, but they have also lost 3 of their last 5 with him starting. In his last start, he allowed 1 ER and 0 BB with 3 strikeouts on 3 hits through just 3 innings of work against the Yankees last Friday. He has seen the Red Sox lineup 3 times this year and he is 1-1 against them with 1 no-decision while his team is 1-2 against them when he starts. He only allowed more than 1 run in 1 of those games. This will be his postseason debut as a starter as he is a rookie. He played in a few playoff games last season but he was a reliever and he never played more than 2 innings in any game. Their offense has scored 16 runs in their last 3 games averaging over 5 runs scored per game in that span and they have allowed their opponents to score 6 runs against them in that same span allowing 2 runs per game.

 

The Red Sox have been red hot in their last few games as they finished their season strong, even rallying to make a comeback in their final game of the season, and then they blew by the Yankees with ease in their first game of the playoffs. The Rays won 2 of their last 3 games but they also stumbled a bit in their last week losing a few games. Now they have had a few days of rest but they are also going with an inexperienced pitcher in this game 1. Eduardo Rodriguez has a few seasons under his belt and some more playoff experience while McClanahan has played for a few innings as a reliever in the playoffs but is still a rookie pitcher new to the league. The playoffs are a whole different animal and after that win on Tuesday, the Red Sox have a lot of momentum on their side. The best bet to place in this game is on the Red Sox to win.

Red Sox Rays Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Thursday, October 7, 2021 (8:07 pm ET start time) is Red Sox 7 Rays 3.

Don't miss our champion handicappers free picks and expert baseball picks today.  And if you enjoyed this Boston Red Sox Tampa Bay Rays prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our daily MLB projections and previews.

 

 

Boston Red Sox: 74-84 O/U in all games. 34-46 O/U in road games. 27-37 O/U when the money line is +125 to -125.

Tampa Bay Rays: 100-62 (+25.6 units) on the money line in all games. 51-25 (+26.6 units) on the money line against division opponents. 52-29 (+10 units) on the money line in home games.

 

 

Boston Red Sox:  J. Martinez (RF) Ques Thurs - Ankle injury. P. Valdez (RP) Out indefinitely - Illness. J. Taylor (RP) Out indefinitely - Back injury.

Tampa Bay Rays:  T. Hunter (RP) Mid Oct - Back injury. N. Anderson (RP) Mid Oct - Back injury. A. Conley (RP) Out indefinitely - Illness.

 

 

Boston Red Sox: Rafael Devers is one player to watch in this matchup. He leads his team in hits, homers, and in RBI. He is a big reason why this team is so hot right now and was able to make a run to get to the playoffs. Their mission is not over just yet so look for him to keep playing at his best in this game as he looks to help his team advance to the next round and get to the World Series.

 

Tampa Bay Rays: Brandon Lowe is one player to watch in this contest. He leads his team in home runs this season and he will be needed here against a hot Red Sox team. He has had some rest to prepare for this game so look for him to be refreshed here and make a big impact at the plate for his team in this game.

 

 

"The Bogaerts homer in the first inning — I mean, talk about a pop. And, you know, the crowd went nuts, and you feed off that energy. You thrive for that, and Red Sox nation brought it tonight. We needed it, and you can't say enough about the crowd." - Kyle Schwarber on the energy of the crowd that they fed on after Bogaerts hit an early home run in the Wild Card game.

 

 

"I was happy he got it, too, because I was tired of hearing, ‘Green light! Green light!' all the time from him." - Kevin Cash on Randy Arozarena getting 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases in the same season.

 

 

 

K. Schwarber DH

E. Hernandez CF

R. Devers 3B

X. Bogaerts SS

A. Verdugo LF

H. Renfroe RF

K. Plawecki C

B. Dalbec 1B

C. Arroyo 2B

 

B. Lowe 2B

R. Arozarena RF

W. Franco SS

N. Cruz DH

A. Meadows LF

J. Choi 1B

M. Zunino C

J. Wendle 3B

K. Kiermaier CF

 

 

 

Batting Average:  X. Bogaerts (.295)

Hits:  R. Devers (166)

Home Runs:  R. Devers (38)

RBI:  R. Devers (115)

Stolen Bases:  C. Vazquez (8)

Wins:  E. Rodriguez (13)

Saves:  M. Barnes (24)

ERA:  R. Brasier (1.50)

 

Batting Average:  W. Franco (.288)

Hits:  Randy Arozarena (145)

Home Runs:  Brandon Lowe (39)

RBI:  Austin Meadows (106)

Stolen Bases:  Randy Arozarena (20)

Wins:  S. McClanahan (10)

Saves:  Andrew Kittredge (8)

ERA:  C. McHugh (1.55)

 

Managers:

Boston Red Sox: Alex Cora (3rd season, non-consecutive)

Tampa Bay Rays: Kevin Cash (7th season)

 

83 degrees F scattered thunderstorms, 74% humidity, 30% chance of rain, up to 5 mph wind speeds S.