Major League Baseball

MLB odds: How to bet Red Sox vs. Rays Game 2, point spread, more

Updated Oct. 8, 2021 4:25 p.m. ET

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The Boston Red Sox will turn to a player with roots in the Tampa area for Game 2 while the Tampa Bay Rays will turn to yet another young arm Friday.

After losing Game 1 of the American League Division Series, 5-0, Boston will start left-hander Chris Sale, 32. Sale, who was born in Lakeland, Fla., about an hour from Tampa, was the No. 13 overall pick by the White Sox in the 2010 draft. The seven-time All-Star was traded to Boston in December 2016. Sale missed most of the regular season while rehabbing from Tommy John surgery and was 5-1 with a 3.16 ERA in nine starts this season.

Rays manager Kevin Cash said he will start Shane Baz, 22, in Game 2. It will be the fourth start of Baz's MLB career. Baz was 2-0 with a 2.03 ERA in three starts and 13.1 innings for the Rays. Baz, the No. 12 overall pick in 2017 by Pittsburgh, was acquired by Tampa Bay as the player to be named in the Chris Archer trade in 2018 (Archer rejoined the Rays as a free agent in February).

Some statistics to consider ahead of Game 2:

The Rays are 3-0 in Baz's starts.

Tampa Bay is 12-8 against Boston this season (11-8 regular season).

Sale was roughed up in his last start against the Rays, allowing 10 hits and five runs (though only one was earned) in 3 ⅔ innings and was long gone by the time Tampa Bay posted an 11-10 win in 10 innings at Fenway Park. 

Sale pitched 6 innings in the 3-2 road win over the Rays on Sept. 1. He allowed six hits and two runs, walking two and striking out three, and got the no-decision.

All of the runs Baz allowed this season were on three solo home runs. He did not face Boston during the regular season.

The Rays have covered the spread in their past seven games and 10 of their past 11, including Game 1.

Tampa Bay has the best against the spread (ATS) in the AL (98-65). The Rays are 45=37 ATS at home.

Click here for the latest MLB postseason odds on FOXSports.com and the FOX Sports app for everything you need in the sports betting world.

Boston Red Sox @ Tampa Bay Rays (7 p.m. ET Friday, FOX Sports 1)

Point spread: Rays -1.0 (Rays favored to win by one or more runs)
Moneyline: Rays -149 favorites to win (bet $10 to win $16.71 total); Red Sox +125 underdogs to win (bet $10 to win $22.50 total)
Total scoring over/under: 7.5 runs scored by both teams combined

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