Peter Lewis
• Boston Red Sox vs. Tampa Bay Rays
• Thursday, April 13 at 1:10 PM ET
• Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts
What a start to the season it has been for the Tampa Bay Rays. Not only are the Rays impressive at the plate, but their starting rotation has been sensational. This has been rough news for the Boston Red Sox, as they’re seeing firsthand just how great Tampa Bay can be. These two teams are in the middle of a great series, with the Rays hoping to make plenty of noise on Thursday. And leading up to that matchup, the Rays are favored to beat the Red Sox with Jeffrey Springs pitching.
Indeed, these two teams are set to face off in the series finale on Thursday afternoon, and there’s going to be plenty of bragging rights on the line. The good news here for the Rays is that Springs has been superb to start the new campaign. Springs will enter the series finale in Boston sporting a 1-0 record and an impressive 12 strikeouts to his name. Oh, and he’s yet to give up a run this season.
| Rays vs. Red Sox odds |  |  |  |  |
| Rays to win | -105 | -105 | -105 | -105 |
| Red Sox to win | +115 | +115 | +115 | +115 |
| Over to hit | -110 | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| Under to hit | -110 | -110 | -110 | -110 |
With Spring pitching so well, the Tampa Bay unit as a whole is going to have plenty of confidence to record yet another strong road win. Meanwhile for Boston, it’s not often that they’re underdogs when playing at home, but it just speaks to the fantastic job the Rays have done in ’23. The Red Sox will hope to post an upset for their hometown fans to enjoy, but that’s going to be a tall task.
According to the best-rated sportsbooks, which includes the reliable Bovada review, the Rays hold -105 MLB betting odds to grab a win in this one. The Red Sox have been set at +115. With Springs pitching, he’s going to have a great chance to send a statement against the AL East rivals. We think the Rays will be able to close out the series in style, which is why we’re going with Tampa Bay as our pick.
12 Ks and 0 H for Jeffrey Springs.
You're gonna want to keep an eye on this guy. pic.twitter.com/Yz4zABSUKR
— MLB (@MLB) April 2, 2023
The over should hit between the Rays and Red Sox
While we do think Springs should be strong in this, we dothink the over should hit between the Rays and Red Sox on Thursday. Why, you ask? Tampa Bay will have confidence in its starter, but the Boston supporters will surely be a little nervous about seeing Corey Kluber jog out to the bump. Kluber has been less than stellar this season, as he will enter his next game holding an 0-2 record and a 6.48 ERA.
That’s not going to cut it, plain and simple. With the Rays featuring such a strong lineup too, this could be an issue for Kluber and Co. The Rays have been led early on this season by star shortstop Wander Franco and stud slugger Randy Arozarena. Both of these guys have more than 10 hits early on in the campaign, which has been so great to see. Now, they’ll be ready for big shows vs. Boston. Manager Kevin Cash has loved what he’s seen.
“There were a lot of really good at-bats,” Cash said after the Opening Day win. “Early on, you never know what you’re going to get on Opening Day. I think Saturday we’ll see some guys settle in on both teams. You see some early swings, maybe expanding a little bit more just because they are overly amped up. After that first time through the order they looked more like themselves and we were pushing together big at-bats.”
Wander Franco is UNREAL. 💥 pic.twitter.com/RbihX8Mb3W
— MLB (@MLB) April 5, 2023
Since that Opening Day win, the Rays haven’t stopped impressing. Cash and his staff have high hopes for the offense the rest of the way, and they can expect more of the same on Thursday vs. Boston. The over/under for this contest has been set at seven runs. With Kluber struggling and Tampa playing so well, we expect plenty of runs in this one. We’re going with the over as our pick.
Rays are dreaming of a World Series title
Thanks to their incredible start to the season, the Rays are dreaming of a World Series title. This club has seen its World Series betting odds skyrocket over the last week, as not a lot of people were giving them much of a chance to compete for the glory this upcoming fall. However, that narrative has changed. Not only that, but the Rays are also expected to push the Yankees for the AL East title. That’d be something if they’d be able to grab the title ahead of the Yankees. Could it happen?
Thanks to their pitchers and hitters, nothing seems impossible for this team. First, the Rays must focus on getting to the playoffs. Then after that, they can worry about getting to the Fall Classic. As things stand, they hold +1000 betting odds to win the World Series, but that number could improve if they stay hot. There’s no question that Tampa Bay will be a team to watch the rest of the season. It could be a year to remember for this squad.
