Well Boston, your Red Sox did their job on Tuesday night as they defeated the Yankees 6-2 in their Wild Card play in game. Fenway Park was electric, but the Sox now head to St. Petersburg, Florida to take on the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League Divisional Series.
The game will air on FS1 from Tropicana Field. First pitch is set for 8:07pm.
⚾GAMEDAY!
Game 1 of the ALDS between the Boston Red Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays begins tonight!
First pitch 8:07pm ET🍿
Checkout our preview on the latest Red Sox Beat Podcast:https://t.co/5tLIIObHHZ
⚡by @betonline_ag & Legends Apparel pic.twitter.com/vYucKUodiz
— Red Sox on CLNS (@RedSoxCLNS) October 7, 2021
Let’s take a look at the betting lines for the series, as well as tonights game, courtesy of BetOnline.ag:
Series Odds
Price:
Red Sox: +145/Rays: -165
Correct Result:
Rays 3-2 +320
Rays 3-1 +350
Rays 3-0 +400
Red Sox 3-1 +440
Red Sox 3-2 +475
Red Sox 3-0 +850
Game 1 Odds
Moneyline: Rays -148/Red Sox +137
Runline: Rays -1.5 (+133)/ Red Sox +1.5 (-153)
Total: 8
Starting Pitchers
Red Sox: Eduardo Rodriguez – L (13-8) ERA: 4.74
Rays: Shane McClanahan – L (10-6) ERA: 3.43
Storylines
The Red Sox were outstanding in their Wild Card game win against the Yankees. Nate Eovaldi was lights out through five innings before being pulled (prematurely in my opinion), but it ultimately ended up being the right decision by manager Alex Cora as the bullpen held their own and got the win. Boston got home runs from veteran Xander Boegarts and trade deadline acquisition Kyle Schwarber to help put New York away.
After J.D. Martinez missed Tuesday’s Wild Card game with an ankle injury, he returns to the roster tonight. It is still to be determined whether he will actually play Thursday. Reliever Matt Barnes was left off of the roster in favor of Martin Perez. Here is the Red Sox final roster for the series:
Men on a mission. pic.twitter.com/50efe0RrQN
— Red Sox (@RedSox) October 7, 2021
The Rays finished 2021 with the third best record in baseball, and the single best record in the American League. They are a team that prides themselves on defense and analytics, which they literally live and die by. In last seasons World Series loss to the Dodgers, manager Kevin Cash pulled pitcher Blake Snell from Game 6 well before anyone would have liked him to, and it arguably lost them the series.
This strategy also got them their 100 wins this season and the top slot in the AL. Boston certainly has their work cut out for them if they want to win the series.
Here is Tampa’s roster ahead of Thursday:
Let’s roll #RaysUp pic.twitter.com/MDujF8ZwO1
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) October 7, 2021
Check out Mike Petraglia’s Red Sox vs Rays preview on Red Sox Beat HERE, featuring 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Alex Barth:
Preview/Prediction
I officially have Red Sox fever. This team has a gritty feel to them, and I think they have a chance to win this series. Tuesday’s win against the Yankees showed that Boston at least has some heart, and I think they’ll bring that in every game.
Ultimately, I don’t think ERod gets it done tonight. Boston will likely drop game one and have to play from behind on Friday. Hopefully some juice from the likes of Chris Sale, Nick Pivetta, and Nate Eovaldi can keep the series close.
Game One Prediction: Rays 7 – Red Sox 3
Side: Rays -1.5 (+133)
Total: OVER 8
Make sure to follow Mike on Twitter @mikekadlick, and follow @RedSoxCLNS for the latest up-to-date Red Sox news!
Use code CLNS50 for 50% off your first deposit at Betonline.ag.
