Rays square off against the Red Sox with series tied 1-1
Boston Red Sox (76-76, third in the AL East) vs. Tampa Bay Rays (74-78, fourth in the AL East)
St. Petersburg, Florida; Thursday, 6:50 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Red Sox: Brayan Bello (14-7, 4.60 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 142 strikeouts); Rays: Zack Littell (7-9, 3.73 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 127 strikeouts)
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK: LINE Rays -115, Red Sox -105; over/under is 7 1/2 runs
BOTTOM LINE: The Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox meet on Thursday with the three-game series tied 1-1.
Tampa Bay is 38-39 at home and 74-78 overall. The Rays have gone 53-26 in games when they record eight or more hits.
Boston is 41-36 on the road and 76-76 overall. The Red Sox have the third-ranked team slugging percentage in the AL at .429.
The matchup Thursday is the 10th meeting between these teams this season. The Red Sox have a 5-4 advantage in the season series.
TOP PERFORMERS: Yandy Diaz has 29 doubles, a triple, 14 home runs and 65 RBI for the Rays. Brandon Lowe is 8-for-34 with a triple, three home runs and four RBI over the past 10 games.
Jarren Duran has 45 doubles, 13 triples, 21 home runs and 73 RBI for the Red Sox. Tyler O'Neill is 6-for-37 with two doubles, four home runs and eight RBI over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Rays: 4-6, .241 batting average, 3.06 ERA, outscored by three runs
Red Sox: 4-6, .229 batting average, 3.58 ERA, outscored opponents by one run
INJURIES: Rays: Jeffrey Springs: 15-Day IL (elbow), Peter Anderson Fairbanks: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Richard Palacios: 10-Day IL (knee), Jacob Waguespack: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Shane McClanahan: 60-Day IL (forearm)
Red Sox: Rob Refsnyder: day-to-day (wrist), Brennan Bernardino: 15-Day IL (elbow), Isaiah Campbell: 60-Day IL (elbow), David Hamilton: 10-Day IL (finger), Luis Garcia: 15-Day IL (elbow), Lucas Sims: 15-Day IL (lat), James Paxton: 60-Day IL (leg), Bryan Mata: 60-Day IL (hamstring), Garrett Whitlock: 60-Day IL (oblique), Liam Hendriks: 60-Day IL (elbow), Chris Murphy: 60-Day IL (elbow), Lucas Giolito: 60-Day IL (elbow)
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Tarik Skubal, Tigers Set For Salary Arbitration Hearing; Here's What That Means
2026 MLB Free Agent Signings, Trades: Framber Valdez Signs $115 Million Deal With Tigers
2026 World Baseball Classic: Yanks' Jazz Chisolm Jr. Back For Great Britain
MLB Free Agency Rumors, Buzz: Surprise Team Eyes 'Aggressive' Move For Valdez
What’s Next: Reds Reunite With Eugenio Suárez As Mariners Add An All-Star
The Most Unique American Sporting Events
FOX Sports to Air 2026 World Baseball Classic, Including March 17 Championship
Why Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, More Can't Play In 2026 World Baseball Classic
World Series Winners: Complete list of champions by year
Tarik Skubal, Tigers Set For Salary Arbitration Hearing; Here's What That Means
2026 MLB Free Agent Signings, Trades: Framber Valdez Signs $115 Million Deal With Tigers
2026 World Baseball Classic: Yanks' Jazz Chisolm Jr. Back For Great Britain
MLB Free Agency Rumors, Buzz: Surprise Team Eyes 'Aggressive' Move For Valdez
What’s Next: Reds Reunite With Eugenio Suárez As Mariners Add An All-Star
The Most Unique American Sporting Events
FOX Sports to Air 2026 World Baseball Classic, Including March 17 Championship
Why Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, More Can't Play In 2026 World Baseball Classic
World Series Winners: Complete list of champions by year
