This Sunday the (69-56) Tampa Bay Rays and the (61-65) Boston Red Sox will play the third and final game of this three-game series. The first pitch will be thrown out at 1:35 PM EST inside Fenway Park. The last time that these two teams matched up, the Rays ended up sweeping the Red Sox in a four-game series.
The Tampa Bay Rays are coming into this one after sweeping the Los Angeles Angels. The Rays looked incredible in the field and on the mound, as they held Los Angeles to under four runs in all four games they played. Tampa Bay will need to keep it rolling on the mound if they want to bounce back from game one.
The Boston Red Sox are entering this one after being swept by the Toronto Blue Jays. Boston struggled at the plate, as they weren't scoring enough runs to stay competitive with the Blue Jays. Luckily, the Red Sox bounced back and took down the Rays in the first game of this series.
This game was written/published before last night's results.
The Tampa Bay Rays are currently holding the first AL Wild Card spot, as they have a 1.5-game lead over the Seattle Mariners. The Rays are also 8-2 in their last 10 games played, as their strong play has propelled them into playoff contention. They are also still in second place in the AL East, as they only trail the New York Yankees by 8.5 games. At the plate, the Rays are scoring 4.36 runs per game and they are hitting .239 as a team. This is the 20th most runs scored per game and the 20th lowest overall team batting average. They have struggled to make contact with the ball consistently, as this had made it much more difficult to score. Tampa Bay has also stranded a lot of base runners in scoring position this season. They also have very little home run power, as they are only averaging .92 bombs per game. This is the 21st lowest average in the MLB, as the Rays will have to string together multiple hits to score. They have already stolen 72 bases this season, which is the 12th most in the league.
According to MLB.com, the Rays will be starting Corey Kluber on the mound. He has been up and down this season, as he is 8-7 with a 4.20 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP. In his last start, he pitched for 6.0 innings and only allowed five hits and one earned run, as he made it tough for the Angels to score. He has had issues on the road this season, though. Outside of his home ballpark, he is 2-5 with a 4.28 ERA. Luckily, the Tampa Bay bullpen has been great this season. They are allowing 3.40 runs per game, which is the ninth lowest bullpen ERA in the MLB. As a team, they are allowing the fifth least amount of runs per game.