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Bet on Another High-Scoring Affair in Red Sox-Rays Series Finale

· Sep 06 - 4 minutes read

The Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays will conclude their third set of the season with the series finale Wednesday. The rubber match will serve as an opportunity for each team to boost their standing in the American League East and playoff hunt.

Tampa Bay sits 3½ games behind Baltimore in the division and leads the AL wild-card standings. Boston, meanwhile, is fourth in the East and fifth among wild-card teams, five games out of position. Both teams are looking to make a playoff push with the season winding down, but MLB odds have the Rays favored in the series finale.

Red Sox Hit a Snag

Boston saw its win streak come to an end at three games after it couldn’t pick up the series win early in game two against Tampa Bay.

The Red Sox had a solid day offensively, scoring six runs, but their relief pitchers couldn’t hold off Tampa Bay, which outlasted Boston 8-6 on Brandon Lowe’s three-run walk-off homer in the 11th inning.

Despite the loss, Boston’s offense has been strong recently, averaging 7.3 runs in its last four games and hitting seven home runs during that span.

MACHO, MACHO MAN! pic.twitter.com/jdWHjiwOtW

— Red Sox (@RedSox) September 4, 2023

The Red Sox’ .264 batting average is third in the MLB, and with them playing for a wild-card spot, their bats should continue to stay hot as they try to remain relevant.

Glasnow Hopes for Better Start

Starter Tyler Glasnow looks to keep Tampa Bay on track.

After pitching three times in August, finishing with a 2-1 record and 3.00 ERA, Glasnow got off to a slower start in his first September game, as he picked up a loss against Cleveland, allowing three runs in seven innings.

Glasnow has allowed eight earned runs in his last three games, despite giving up only one home run with 17 strikeouts over those starts.

Though he has pitched better at home, going 3-2 with a 2.98 ERA, bettors may want to wait to see how he starts against a hotter Red Sox team before taking advantage of MLB live betting odds.

Starting Pitchers

Nick Pivetta (9-7, 4.49 ERA) vs Tyler Glasnow (7-5, 3.17 ERA)

Pivetta will hope to continue his solid start to September after finishing August on a sour note. In his last outing, Pivetta threw five strikeouts and gave up one run in three innings, earning the save. In the previous game, he allowed four runs in two innings to pick up a loss. Pivetta has been solid on the road, however, recording a 3.90 ERA and 3-2 record.

Glasnow has been a bit inconsistent lately, giving up three runs in his last outing after recording a scoreless six innings in the previous game. He was strong in his first outing of the season against Boston, however, allowing one run in 5⅓ innings while throwing six strikeouts.

Betting Odds Calculator

Red Sox vs Rays Best Bet

Both teams have been able to score runs against each other in this series, and with MLB lines setting the total at eight, it seems reasonable they will exceed that number.

The Red Sox and Rays have two of the stronger offenses in the league, both ranking in the top 10 in batting average, and they should each cause issues for a pair of starters who have been inconsistent lately.

Boston and Tampa Bay have hit the over in both their games in this series, and they should end it doing so as well in the finale.