Tampa Bay Rays vs Boston Red Sox Prediction, Preview and Odds - 06/05/2023

Game Time: 4:05 pm ET, Monday, June 5, 2023

Venue:  Fenway Park, Boston, MA

Where to Watch:  NESN

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Rays -135, Red Sox +115; Over/Under:  9.5 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Rays -135, Red Sox +115; Over/Under:  9.5 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Rays -135, Red Sox +115; Over/Under:  9.5 runs

Tampa Bay Rays:  41-19 (1st place, AL East)

Boston Red Sox:  30-28 (5th place, AL East)

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Tampa Bay Rays:  6-4 last 10

Boston Red Sox:  4-6 last 10

The Rays are entering this game off of a win in their last game but lost their 3-game series against the Chicago Cubs 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 41-19 record overall and have a road record of 15-13. This is the series finale of a 4-game series with the Red Sox on Monday with the 3rd game of this series still to be played on Sunday. Their offense ranks 1st in the MLB with a .825 OPS. Rookie pitcher Taj Bradley is their starting pitcher on Sunday while Shane McClanahan is making his start in this game on Monday. He is 8-1 with a 2.07 ERA this season. His team won 2 of their last 3 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 2 ER, 1 HR, and 2 BB with 7 Ks on 6 hits through 5.2 IP against the Chicago Cubs.

The Red Sox are entering this game off of a loss in their last game and lost their 3-game series against the Cincinnati Reds 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 30-28 record overall and have a home record of 17-14. This is the 4th game of a 4-game series with the Rays on Monday with the 3rd game of this series still to be played on Sunday. Their offense ranks 5th in the MLB with a .768 OPS. Tanner Houck is their starting pitcher on Sunday while Brayan Bello is making his start in this game on Monday. He is 3-3 with a 3.89 ERA this season. His team lost their last 2 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 1 earned run, 0 homers, and 2 BB with 4 strikeouts on 5 hits through 4 innings played against the Cincinnati Reds.

The current betting odds have the Rays listed as a slight favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Rays have been red hot since the start of the season as they have the best record in the MLB right now and also have the best offense. Their pitching staff has also been great though and they are going to have their ace McClanahan on the mound here who not only leads the team in wins but also has a great ERA as he hasn't given up many runs in any of his starts. The Red Sox do have a good offense but it isn't as strong as the Rays offense have been and they are going to struggle a lot more here with the way McClanahan has been pitching. Bello is on the mound for the Red Sox and he hasn't been great this season as he wasn't great last year either. He is still trying to find his rhythm as a starter in the MLB but he has given up quite a few runs in a lot of his starts, including his starts against the Rays between this season and last. The Rays are trying to keep their division lead here while also improving their record against division opponents this season so they will push for the win in this game and they have the better pitching matchup anyway. The best way to place a bet here is on the Rays to win this game.

Rays Red Sox Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Monday, June 5, 2023 (4:05 pm ET start time) is Rays 5 Red Sox 2.

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Tampa Bay Rays: 41-19 (+17.5 units) on the moneyline in all games. 32-16 (+12 units) on the moneyline against right-handed starters. 35-22 OVER in all games. 15-7 OVER against division opponents.

Boston Red Sox: 79-94 (-17.7 units) on the moneyline against division opponents. 67-64 (-7.6 units) on the moneyline in day games. 21-9 OVER in home games. 13-3 OVER against division opponents.

Tampa Bay Rays:  L. Raley (RF) Ques Sun - Abdominal. J. Fleming (SP) Out indefinitely - Elbow. W. Franco (SS) Ques Sun - Shoulder. D. Rasmussen (RP) Early Aug - Elbow. P. Fairbanks (RP) Out indefinitely - Hip. Z. Littell (RP) Mid June - Shoulder. S. Armstrong (RP) Ques Sun - Neck. G. Cleavinger (RP) out for season - Knee. J. Springs (RP) out for season - Elbow. S. Baz (SP) out for season - Elbow. A. Kittredge (RP) Late July - Elbow.

Boston Red Sox:  J. Rodriguez (RP) Ques Sun - Bicep. C. Sale (SP) Out Indefinitely - Shoulder. A. Duvall (LF) Prob Fri - Wrist. T. Story (2B) Late July - Elbow. Y. Chang (3B) Mid June - Wrist. R. Bleier (RP) Out indefinitely - Shoulder. W. Mills (RP) Mid June - Elbow. C. Arroyo (3B) Mid June - Hamstring. J. Schreiber (RP) Out indefinitely - Back. Z. Kelly (RP) Early Sept - Elbow. A. Mondesi (SS) Out indefinitely - Knee.

“It was alright, more of like a grind today. I think the breaking pitches were good, the heater wasn't there.” - Tyler Glasnow after their win against the Red Sox in game 2 of their double-header on Saturday.

“The beauty of putting the ball in play. We took our walks, ran the bases well. It was a total team effort.” - Alex Cora after his team’s win against the Rays in game 1 of their double-header on Saturday.

Yandy Diaz (R) DH

Brandon Lowe (L) 2B

Randy Arozarena (R) LF

Josh Lowe (L) RF

Isaac Paredes (R) 3B

Luke Raley (L) 1B

Jose Siri (R) CF

Taylor Walls (S) SS

Christian Bethancourt (R) C

Alex Verdugo (L) RF

Rafael Devers (L) DH

Justin Turner (R) 3B

Masataka Yoshida (L) LF

Jarren Duran (L) CF

Enrique Hernandez (R) SS

Triston Casas (L) 1B

Connor Wong (R) C

Enmanuel Valdez (L) 2B

Batting Average:  Yandy Diaz (.310)

Hits:  Wander Franco (68)

Home Runs:  Yandy Diaz (12)

RBI:  Randy Arozarena (40)

Stolen Bases:  Wander Franco (21)

Wins:  Shane McClanahan (8)

Saves:  Jason Adam (8)

ERA:  Chase Anderson (0.00)

Batting Average:  Adam Duvall (.455)

Hits:  Alex Verdugo (63)

Home Runs:  Rafael Devers (13)

RBI:  Rafael Devers (48)

Stolen Bases:  Jarren Duran (7)

Wins:  Chris Sale (5)

Saves:  Kenley Jansen (12)

ERA:  Justin Garza (1.00)

Managers:

Tampa Bay Rays: Kevin Cash (9th season)

Boston Red Sox: Alex Cora (5th season, 3rd consecutive)