Tampa Bay Rays vs Boston Red Sox Prediction, Preview and Odds - 07/17/2026

Game Time: 1:35 pm ET, Friday, July 17, 2026

Venue:  Fenway Park, Boston, MA

Where to Watch:  MLB TV

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Rays +101, Red Sox -122; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Rays +100, Red Sox -120; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Rays +100, Red Sox -120; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

Tampa Bay Rays:  56-38 (1st place, AL East)

Boston Red Sox:  46-48 (3rd place, AL East)

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Tampa Bay Rays:  5-5 last 10

Boston Red Sox:  9-1 last 10

The Rays are entering this series off a loss and won their 3-game series against the Seattle Mariners 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 56-38 record overall and have a road record of 21-23. This is the series opener of a 4-game series with the Red Sox on Friday. Their offense ranks 9th in the MLB with a .735 OPS. Ian Seymour was their starting pitcher on Sunday while Griffin Jax is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 5-6 with a 3.47 ERA this season. His team won 4 of their last 5 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season appearance, he allowed 1 ER, 0 HR, and 3 BB with 3 SO on 4 hits through 5 IP against the Seattle Mariners.

The Red Sox are entering this series off a win and completed the sweep in their 3-game series against the New York Mets 3-0 in their last series. They enter this game with a 46-48 record overall and have a home record of 17-27. This is the 1st game of a 4-game series with the Rays on Friday. Their offense ranks 23rd in the MLB with a .701 OPS. Payton Tolle was their starting pitcher on Sunday while rookie pitcher Jake Bennett is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 4-3 with a 2.64 ERA this season. His team won their last 3 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 0 earned run, 0 homers, and 1 walk with 4 strikeouts on 4 hits through 7 innings pitched against the Chicago White Sox.

The current betting odds have the Red Sox listed as a slight favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Red Sox haven't looked great in their games this season with their 46-48 record overall which has them right in the middle of the AL East. They have looked terrible in their own ballpark too with their 17-27 home record this season. Meanwhile, the Rays have looked great in their games this season with their 56-38 record overall which has them right at the top of the AL East with one of the best records in MLB. They haven't been a great road team though with their 21-23 road record this year. The Rays haven't been at their best lately either, now 5-5 in their last 10 games while the Red Sox have been rolling lately, going 9-1 in their last 10 games. The Red Sox were dead in the water for a lot of the season, but they have been one of the hottest teams in the league over the last few weeks and this is a great opportunity for them to continue turning things around now that they are almost back at .500. The Red Sox are going with Bennett in this one and he has looked great this season. He is 4-3 with a 2.64 ERA and he has been having a great rookie season so far. He is coming off another great start in which he gave up no runs which has been a common theme for him, and the team has won 3 games in a row now with him starting too. The Rays are going with Jax in this one and he has also looked good this season. He is 5-6 with a 3.47 ERA and hasn't been giving up many runs lately. He only gave up 1 earned run in his last start and the team has won 4 of their last 5 games with him starting, but he also hasn't been a starter all season and he has been up and down at times too. The Red Sox have been pitching much better on this 9-1 run and their offense has also been getting hot. This is a big game for the Red Sox to set the tone for the 2nd half of the season coming out of the break, so look for them to rise to the occasion here against a Rays team that hasn't looked nearly as good on the road this season. The best way to place a bet here is on the Red Sox to win this game. 

Rays Red Sox Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Friday, July 17, 2026 (1:35 pm ET start time) is Red Sox 3 Rays 1.

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Tampa Bay Rays: 213-205 (-5.7 units) on the moneyline in all games. 94-111 (-8.9 units) on the moneyline in road games. 133-136 (-15.7 units) on the moneyline vs. an AL team with an on base percentage .330 or worse. 16-10 UNDER against left-handed starters. 29-20 UNDER vs. a team with a good bullpen whose WHIP is 1.350 or better.

Boston Red Sox: 126-110 (+13 units) on the moneyline when the money line is +125 to -125. 115-108 (+7.9 units) on the moneyline when playing against a team with a winning record. 68-48 (+24.8 units) on the moneyline vs. an AL starting pitcher whose ERA is 3.70 or better. 24-17 UNDER in home games. 17-9 UNDER against division opponents.

Tampa Bay Rays:  J. Caminero (3B) Day To Day - Hands. S. Matz (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Ankle. J. Heasley (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. G. Lux (LF) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder. J. Scholtens (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Wrist. J. Fraley (RF) Ten Day IL - Groin. R. Pepiot (SP) Sixty Day IL - Hip. E. Uceta (RP) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder. S. Wilson (RP) Sixty Day IL - Back. M. Rodriguez (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow.

Boston Red Sox:  R. Suarez (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Groin. C. Early (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Elbow. R. Anthony (LF) Sixty Day IL - Wrist. M. Mayer (2B) Ten Day IL - Forearm. I. Kiner-Falefa (2B) Ten Day IL - Forearm. G. Crochet (SP) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder. T. Story (SS) Sixty Day IL - Abdomen. 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.

“Yeah, in the moment I was just scared, right. Kind of in that situation, right there in the moment, you're thinking the worst, and I honestly thought something might have been broken. But look, thank you to God that everything's fine, and now it's just a little bit sore, but we're all good.” - Junior Caminero on getting hit by a pitch in the All-Star Game.

“For us, we need to play baseball and keep getting better. And besides that, the front office, hopefully they're gonna do whatever they think is better for the team, and we have to respect that.” - Willson Contreras on their approach to the 2nd half of the season. 

Yandy Díaz (D) DH

Jonathan Aranda (Z) 1B

Junior Caminero (D) 3B

Cedric Mullins (Z) CF

Chandler Simpson (Z) LF

Victor Mesa Jr. (Z) RF

Taylor Walls (A) SS

Richie Palacios (Z) 2B

Hunter Feduccia (Z) C

Anthony Seigler (A) 2B

Ceddanne Rafaela (D) CF

Wilyer Abreu (Z) RF

Romy Gonzalez (D) 1B

Caleb Durbin (D) 3B

Andruw Monasterio (D) SS

Jarren Duran (Z) DH

Nate Eaton (D) LF

Connor Wong (D) C

Batting Average:  Yandy Díaz (.322)

Hits:  Yandy Díaz (111)

Home Runs:  Junior Caminero (28)

RBI:  Jonathan Aranda (64)

Stolen Bases:  Chandler Simpson (22)

Wins:  Shane McClanahan (8)

Saves:  Bryan Baker (25)

ERA:  Michael Grove (0.00)

Batting Average:  Tsung-Che Cheng (.296)

Hits:  Ceddanne Rafaela (96)

Home Runs:  Willson Contreras (20)

RBI:  Willson Contreras (61)

Stolen Bases:  Jarren Duran (14)

Wins:  Sonny Gray (11)

Saves:  Aroldis Chapman (19)

ERA:  Eduardo Rivera (0.00)

Managers:

Tampa Bay Rays: Kevin Cash (12th season)

Boston Red Sox: Chad Tracy (Interim)