Boston Red Sox vs. Tampa Bay Rays – 8/1/2021 Free Pick & MLB Betting Prediction

Eovaldi did not have his best stuff on Saturday but Boston’s defense didn’t help him out, either. Jonathan Arauz made two errors at second base, one of which led to an unearned run.

Arauz was playing for the rookie Jarren Duran, who is typically in center with Enrique Hernandez at second. Hernandez shifted to center for this one with Arauz at second because Duran has just a .195 OBP in his first 41 big league plate appearances.

Duran pushed a struggling Alex Verdugo out of the second spot in the batting order and down to sixth. Without him in there, Rafael Devers has slid up to number two, which gives the illusion of a shorter Boston lineup.

That isn’t to say Alex Cora has given up on his 24-year-old center fielder but don’t expect Duran to be back in the lineup against another left-handed starter Sunday.

Tampa Bay Rays

The Rays will start rookie Shane McClanahan on Sunday. A first round pick out of USF in 2018, McClanahan has made 15 starts this season but this will be his first against Boston.

He threw four good games against AL East opponents in the month of July, giving up eight runs in over 20 innings against Toronto (twice), New York, and Baltimore.

He hasn’t given up more than four runs yet and has held the opponent to three or fewer in 13 out of 15 tries.

Nick Pivetta will be McClanahan’s opponent. He’s been all Boston could have hoped for when it signed him to a contract in the offseason but is he showing signs on wear?

Pivetta finished off July with three straight starts allowing four earned runs. In two of them, he failed to get through five innings.

He faced Tampa Bay in his first start of the season and then later at the end of June. Combined, he’s given up two hits and no runs in 11.2 innings against the Rays this season.

But Tampa Bay’s lineup is healthier and more improved now than it has been at any point this season with the newly-acquired Nelson Cruz and the promotion of Franco to a full-time starter.

MLB Baseball Betting Trends:

• Rays are 43-18 in their last 61 Sunday games.
• Rays are 37-16 in their last 53 games as a favorite.
• Rays are 78-35 in their last 113 home games.
• Over is 3-0-1 in Red Sox last 4 games as a road underdog.
• Under is 7-0 in Red Sox last 7 games with the total set at 7.0-8.5.
• Head to Head: Over is 21-5-2 in the last 28 meetings.

Free Boston Red Sox vs. Tampa Bay Rays MLB Prediction: Tampa.

Could the Red Sox be in the midst of an implosion? Their stars have been beat-up without some key bench players healthy.

The starting pitching hasn’t collapsed but it has shown cracks in its armor of late.

And with the Trade Deadline having gone by, the timing could prove unfortunate for Boston.

4* Free MLB Betting Pick: Tampa -130

If you’re looking for more MLB picks like this Boston Red Sox vs. Tampa Bay Rays matchup we’ll be providing 4* free MLB plays on the blog all season long, and check out our Experts for guaranteed premium & free MLB Baseball picks!

Register here for a FREE MLB Betting Account Now for Daily Free Picks & More Special Offers!