Coming off a wild Labor Day matchup in Boston, top sportsbooks have tight moneylines when the Red Sox continue their series against the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays.
Tampa Bay Rays vs. Boston Red Sox
Tuesday, September 07, 2021 – 07:10 PM EDT at Fenway Park
Tampa Bay stunned Boston with an 11-10 final on the MLB scoreboard, the Rays coming back from a seven-one hole and thanks in part to some shoddy Red Sox fielding. The victory clinched the season series for the Rays with a ten-seven record against their division rivals, and came with Tampa Bay a small underdog. It also marked the sixth ‘over’ in seven games at Fenway Park between the two sides.
Online betting sites have responded with close numbers for Tuesday’s contest, some shops slightly favoring the Rays and others leaning a little towards the Red Sox. Drew Rasmussen (1-1, 3.38) and Eduardo Rodriguez (11-7, 4.88) begin the matchup on the mound, with a 9½-run total being offered to scoreboard bettors.
Rays Stretch Division Lead to Eight and a Half
Austin Meadows called Tampa Bay’s triumph on Labor Day the “biggest win of the year,” and he played a big part in it with an inside the park home run that tied the game. Nelson Cruz had one official home run, and circled the bases in another at bat as Boston entertained the crowd with an imitation of the Keystone Kops playing defense.
Rasmussen will be making his second consecutive start against the Red Sox, and facing them for the fifth time this season. As has been the case in all six of his 2021 starting assignments, Rasmussen got a no-decision last Wednesday at Tropicana Field with four innings of one-run baseball. Boston eventually won the game three-two as a small underdog on the MLB betting odds. He had the same line (four IP, one R) in a mid-August start at Fenway Park, and has two additional relief appearances against the Red Sox this year.
The only decisions – one win, one loss, one save – Rasmussen has in 2021 came in relief appearances on the road. His workload has been split in half with 28 innings on the road and 28 at home, and his 2.89 ERA away from The Trop is about a full run lower than when Rasmussen pitches in St. Pete. No Boston batter has taken him deep yet, and they’re hitting a collective .139 against the 26-year-old Washington native.
Sox Facing Tough Road Trip to Chicago, Seattle
Boston batters jumped all over Tampa Bay starting pitcher Ryan Yarbrough on Monday, handing Chris Sale what seemed to be a sure win with a seven-one lead after two innings. Those same hitters then decided to make it interesting once they traded their bats for gloves, and six of the Rays’ 11 runs ended up in the unearned column.
Rodriguez is also going up against the Rays for a second consecutive outing after spinning a gem last Thursday at Tropicana Field. Boston closed as a +145 underdog with Heritage Sports (visit our Heritage Sports Review), and Rodriguez rewarded those bettors with six shutout innings in a four-zero Red Sox triumph. He faced the Rays two other times this year, Boston splitting those games with a loss at Fenway in August and win in St. Pete in June, and Rodriguez has a 2.60 ERA in the combined 17.1 innings.
Pitching at home this season, Rodriguez is four -three with a 5.69 ERA in ten starts compared to a seven-four mark and 4.41 ERA in 16 assignments away from Boston. Last week’s start at Tropicana Field continued a fine showing by Rodriguez in August when he pitched to a 3.33 ERA across five starts, and the Boston batter who has given him the most trouble is Brandon Lowe (.308, 3 HR).
Umpire Notes, Beantown Weather and a Free Pick
Jeff Nelson’s crew was assigned to this series, and Laz Diaz should be the many behind the mask calling balls and strikes in Game 2. It’s the 24th plate assignment of the year for the 26-year veteran, and Diaz has been very even in the totals column with a 10-11-2 O/U/P record. Diaz does have an ‘under’ tendency when totals are nine and higher (three - seven O/U), but three of his last four times to have dish duty at Fenway have been ‘over’ winners.
A quick check of the Boston forecast reveals a nice evening in store for the fans at Fenway Park. The weatherman is calling for clear skies and the thermometer in the low-70s for the matchup, along with a five- seven mph SW breeze (out to center). I’m going contrary to the season trend when these clubs play in Boston, and making my free MLB pick on the final falling short.
MLB Pick: Under 9½ (-103) with Heritage Sports (visit our Heritage Sports Review)
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
