
The Red Sox face the Rays at Fenway Park on May 7, with Tampa Bay riding a franchise-record 12 wins in 13 games. Boston, after a recent sweep of the Tigers, is looking to build momentum with rookie Jake Bennett on the mound.
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Red Sox vs. Rays prediction: Odds, recent stats, trends, and best bets for May 7
The Red Sox and Rays open a weekend series tonight at Fenway Park. Tampa Bay takes the field playing as well as anyone in baseball while Boston is looking to build on their recently completed sweep of the Tigers in Detroit.
The Rays arrive in Boston having won 12 of their last 13 and allowing three runs or fewer in all 13, a franchise-record. Their bullpen has been especially sharp, extending a scoreless streak of over 17 innings and giving up just one run in the last 32 innings. With elite pitching, Tampa has not needed too much offense but they are hitting a respectable .254 as a team.
Boston, meanwhile, has shown signs of life since firing manager Alex Cora, going 6–4 over their last ten games including that sweep of Detroit. Rookie starter Jake Bennett gets the ball tonight. It is a small sample size but he has been impressive in limited action, posting a 1.80 ERA. The Red Sox offense came alive in Motown scoring 19 runs over the three games. Because the top of the American League East has been so dominant, though, the Sox still sit 8.5 games behind the Rays and a full nine games back of the first place Yankees.
Bennett will be opposed tonight by Tampa Bay’s Griffin Jax (1–2, 5.14 ERA). Jax has struggled out of the pen but when starting the proverbial bullpen game he has allowed but two hits and no runs (faced 16 batters). He has yet to pitch three full innings in any capacity this season.
The Rays have won 12 of their last 13 games, allowing three runs or fewer in all 13, while the Red Sox are 6-4 in their last ten games after sweeping the Tigers.
Rookie Jake Bennett is the starting pitcher for the Red Sox in their game against the Rays.
The Rays have been outstanding, winning 12 of their last 13 games and extending their bullpen's scoreless streak to over 17 innings.
The Red Sox are currently 8.5 games behind the Rays and nine games back of the first-place Yankees.


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Overall, the matchup tilts slightly toward Tampa Bay given their dominant pitching, superior record, and recent form, but Boston’s home-field advantage and improved play make this a more compelling matchup than it might have been ten days ago.
Lets dive into tonight’s matchup and find a sweat or two.
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Pitching matchup for May 7:
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