Tampa Bay Rays vs Boston Red Sox Prediction, Preview and Odds - 07/18/2026

Game Time: 4:10 pm ET, Saturday, July 18, 2026

Venue:  Fenway Park, Boston, MA

Where to Watch:  ESPN Unlimited, MLB TV

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Rays +100, Red Sox -120; Over/Under:  9.5 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Rays +100, Red Sox -120; Over/Under:  9.5 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Rays +100, Red Sox -120; Over/Under:  9.5 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 3rd game of a 4-game series with the Red Sox on Saturday with the series opener and the 2nd game still to be played on Friday in a double-header. Their offense ranks 9th in the MLB with a .735 OPS. Griffin Jax is one of their starting pitchers on Friday while Ian Seymour is making his start in this game on Saturday. He is 6-2 with a 4.59 ERA this season. His team won 3 of their last 4 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season appearance, he allowed 5 ER, 1 HR, and 3 BB with 3 SO on 6 hits through 3.1 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 3rd game of a 4-game series with the Rays on Saturday with the 1st game and the 2nd game of this series still to be played on Friday in a double-header. Their offense ranks 23rd in the MLB with a .701 OPS. Rookie pitcher Jake Bennett is one of their starting pitchers on Friday while Patrick Sandoval is making his start in this game on Saturday. He is 0-0 with a 2.08 ERA this season. His team won their only game this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 1 earned run, 0 homers, and 1 walk with 5 strikeouts on 5 hits through 4.1 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 have been one of the best teams in MLB all season, but lately they haven't looked great. They are 5-5 in their last 10 games while the Red Sox have been rolling lately, now 9-1 in their last 10 games. Sandoval is starting for the Red Sox in this one and he has looked good this season. He is 0-0 with a 2.08 ERA and has only had 1 start this year, but he was great in it. He only gave up 1 earned run and his team went on to win that game too. The Red Sox have also been getting really hot with their offense lately and their bullpen has also been a lot better. The Rays are going with Seymour in this one and he hasn't looked great this season. He is 6-2 with a 4.59 ERA and lately he has been giving up quite a few runs. His team has still won 3 of their last 4 games with him starting, but he did give up 5 earned runs in his last start and that has been a common theme for him. The Rays haven't been at their best over the last few weeks while the Red Sox have played themselves back into the Wild Card race, so look for the Red Sox to take advantage of this pitching matchup and stay hot coming out of the All-Star break. 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 Saturday, July 18, 2026 (4:10 pm ET start time) is Red Sox 5 Rays 3.

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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. 147-128 (+16.4 units) on the moneyline vs. a team with a good bullpen whose WHIP is 1.350 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 (R) DH

Jonathan Aranda (L) 1B

Junior Caminero (R) 3B

Ryan Vilade (R) RF

Jonny DeLuca (R) CF

Chandler Simpson (L) LF

Ben Williamson (R) 2B

Taylor Walls (S) SS

Nick Fortes (R) C

Anthony Seigler (S) 2B

Ceddanne Rafaela (R) CF

Wilyer Abreu (L) RF

Caleb Durbin (R) 3B

Masataka Yoshida (L) DH

Romy Gonzalez (R) 1B

Jarren Duran (L) LF

Carlos Narváez (R) C

Tsung-Che Cheng (L) SS

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)