Sports Betting: Red Sox vs Rays - MLB Odds and Predictions

Two teams that are getting quite used to each other will face off once again tonight at Tropicana Field when the Tampa Bay Rays host the Boston Red Sox for the final of a three game set that can be seen live on ESPN at 8:00pm EST. Online sports betting has the Rays -140 favorites in MLB odds at home vs the Red Sox +130 while the baseball betting over/under total is listed at 8.5 (-110). Tampa Bay will try to defend at home by sending righthander James Shields to the mound with a 4.78 ERA and 11-11 record this year while Boston will try to make it two in a row by starting righthander John Lackey who has gone 12-7 with a 4.51 ERA this year. Sportsbooks also favor the Ray -1.5 (+155) in MLB predictions for the run-line vs the Red Sox +1.5 (-175).

Boston won the first game on Friday 3-1 but Tampa fought back in game two when B.J. Upton hit a 381-ft homer to left field in the eighth inning to tie last night's game vs the Red Sox at 2-2. It was Dan Johnson however who was the hero for the Rays last night nailing a walk-off 384-ft homer over the right center wall off Scott Atchinson in the tenth inning for the 3-2 victory. The Rays won the game as -140 favorites in MLB odds vs the Red Sox while the five runs stayed UNDER the 7.5 sports betting total. "In the year 2,100, they're going to be talking about Dan Johnson and what he did against the Red Sox in '08 and '10," said Rays manager Joe Maddon after the game.

Heading into tonight's ESPN baseball game, the Rays have gone 79-50 in MLB odds for the season, 7-3 when playing on Sunday and 7-3 after a win. Tampa Bay is 6-1 in their last 7 games at home, 5-1 in their last 6 games when playing Boston, 4-1 in their last 5 games when playing at home against the Red Sox and 5-2 in their last 7 games overall. Boston has gone 74-56 on the season, 6-4 when playing on Sunday and 7-3 after a loss. The Red Sox are 5-2 in their last 7 games overall, 2-4 in their last 6 games on the road, 1-4 in their last 5 games when playing on the road against the Rays and 1-5 in their last 6 games when playing Tampa Bay.