Free MLB Pick: Rays vs. Red Sox Odds
Looking for Tampa Bay Rays vs. Boston Red Sox free MLB predictions? MLB betting sees the Rays taking on the Red Sox in Game 3 of the American League Divisional Series Sunday, October 10th, 2021 at Fenway Park. Cappers Picks provides complimentary expert handicapping picks on all MLB baseball matchups all season long so stay tuned for more FREE daily MLB predictions like this Rays Red Sox ALDS Game 3 free pick.
2021 ALDS: Game 3
(1-1) Tampa Bay Rays vs. Boston Red Sox (1-1)
Date: Sunday, October 10th, 2021
Time: 4:07 PM ET
Venue: Fenway Park, Boston, MA.
Projected Pitchers: Rasmussen (TB), Eovaldi (BOS)
MLB Moneyline Odds: Rays -118 | Red Sox +108 (Bet Now!)
MLB run line Betting Odds: TBD
MLB Baseball Gambling Total: O/U 8.5
Red Sox Series Price: +115 | Rays Series Price -135 (Bet Now!)
An offensive explosion reversed the course of Game 2 and the series for Boston in Tampa Bay on Friday night.
After a day to travel on Saturday, the two teams resume their series in Boston on Sunday evening in what is now a best-of-three for the right to play in the League Championship Series.
Tampa Bay Rays
The Rays scored five times in the first inning against Chris Sale on Friday, including a grand slam by Jordan Luplow, but could do nothing to stop Boston on the offensive in a 14–6 loss.
Shane Baz could only get one out in the third; Collin McHugh gave up three runs in less than two innings; Matt Wisler gave up two more after him; and Michael Wacha was pounded late.
Tampa was able to avoid going to some of its higher leverage arms late in a blowout but with the bullpen in a less than desirable state, it will turn to a third rookie to start the third game in this series.
Drew Rasmussen came over in the Wily Adames trade earlier this season. The Rays had liked him before that. They made him a first round pick in 2017 before he opted to return to Oregon State for one more season.
In ten appearances as a reliever and another ten as the starter, Rasmussen went 4–0 for Tampa Bay this season with a 2.44 ERA in 59 innings. He struck out 48 and walked 13.
Unlike Tampa’s Game 2 starter Shane Baz, Rasmussen saw Boston plenty in the regular season. He threw a scoreless inning of relief in June and earned a hold by getting five outs in relief in August.
His final eight appearances for the Rays were as a starting pitcher and three of them came against the Red Sox. He gave up exactly one run in all three, going four innings twice and five another time.
He gave up 10 hits in those 13 innings and earned one win for his efforts.
After Friday’s disaster, Tampa Bay will take four good innings out of Rasmussen. But who will Kevin Cash have confidence in to take the ball out of the bullpen from there?
Boston Red Sox
Boston will counter with Nathan Eovaldi, the winning pitcher in Boston’s Wildcard victory against New York on Tuesday.
He’s been Boston’s best starting pitcher all season and threw three terrific games in four tries against the Rays this season.
In each of the three, he went seven innings and gave up three hits and one run. In the other start, he got into trouble in the sixth and ended his day with six hits and five earned runs to his name.
JD Martinez returned to the lineup to the delight of everyone on Boston’s side in Game 2 and had an immediate impact, collecting four hits in five at-bats, including a three-run homer that led to Boston’s runaway.
Kike Hernandez had five hits for Boston and Alex Verdugo continued his hot streak with three more knocks and a homer.
But in a game that featured plenty of offense, the star for Boston may just have been a pitcher.
Tanner Houck started the second inning and went the next five, giving up only a single and a solo homer, striking out five.
MLB Baseball Betting Trends:
- Red Sox are 5-1 in their last 6 overall.
- Rays are 9-3 in their last 12 games following an off day.
- Under is 7-0 in Red Sox last 7 games vs. a left-handed starter.
- Head to Head: Over is 25-12-2 in the last 38 meetings.
- Head to Head: Rays are 17-6 in the last 23 meetings in Boston.
- Head to Head: Over is 13-2-1 in the last 16 meetings in Boston.
Tampa Bay Rays vs. Boston Red Sox MLB Prediction:
See the trends above. The Rays have been tough at Fenway Park. Most of the games have been high-scoring, too.
The Rays will be tough here. This team doesn’t get beat up like it did on Friday night. It won’t lose like that again in Game 3.
Boston won’t have Hauck, who has been the best weapon it has out of the bullpen.
Eovaldi has to pitch well. If he doesn’t, Tampa Bay could win big. If one team is going to win big, it’s Tampa Bay.
If Boston’s to win this game, it will win it close and, perhaps, a little more low-scoring. It may not be a 2–1 game, but 5–4. Even that feels like a low total in this spot.
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