Red Sox vs Rays Predictions, Picks & Betting Splits on Jun 8

• The AL East-leading Tampa Rays are slight home underdogs to the last-place Boston Red Sox
• Tampa has taken three of the last four against Boston, including a series win in May
• Read below for the my Red Sox vs Rays prediction, picks updated odds and betting splits

It’s the best and worst the American League East division has to offer, as the first-place Tampa Bay Rays (37-25) welcome the cellar-dwelling Boston Red Sox (27-36) to the Trop for a 3-game set starting Monday.

Despite winning a series in May and beating Boston in three of the last four overall, the books have Boston as the slight road favorite in the MLB odds.

Both teams are coming off losses to end their last series, with Tampa getting clubbed by 7-2 by Detroit, while the Red Sox lost 6-1 to the Yankees.

First pitch goes tonight at 6:40pm ET from Tropicana Field, in St Petersburg, FLA, with MLB TV providing the broadcast coverage.

Red Sox vs Rays Prediction

• Best Bet: Rays ML (-105 at Caesars)

The MLB probable pitchers presents a fascinating contrast.

The Red Sox send Connelly Early to the mound, who has been a reliable stabilizing force.

Over 66.1 innings of work, Early owns a 3.25 ERA, a 1.17 WHIP, and strikes out 8.55 batters per nine innings.

Meanwhile, the Rays hand the ball to Ian Seymour, who has endured a rocky campaign. Seymour posts a 5.22 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP across 31.0 innings overall, though he primarily operates in short stints.

Despite the Red Sox holding the edge on the mound with Early, the offensive firepower for the Rays cannot be ignored.

The Rays rank higher across the board offensively, carrying a .715 team OPS and a .333 OBP compared to a .694 OPS and .316 OBP for the Red Sox.

Tampa is highly reliable when expected to perform, posting a 23-12 overall record as a favorite this season. However, they find themselves as underdogs here. Conversely, the Red Sox have found it difficult to pull off upsets this year, holding a 9-14 record as betting underdogs.

The combination of a superior overall record and an elite lineup makes the Rays my definitive pick to win outright. The Red Sox struggle to find offensive consistency, and their bats may not capitalize on Seymour’s vulnerabilities enough to outscore heavy hitters.

BOS Red Sox vs TB Rays Expert Picks

Junior Caminero to Record an RBI (+130 at FanDuel)
Caminero tallies 30 RBIs and 14 home runs while slugging .498. At plus money, backing him to drive in a run is an excellent value play.

Yandy Díaz to Record a Run (-130 at FanDuel)
Díaz leads regulars with a .325 batting average and a .399 OBP. Getting on base at a nearly 40% clip makes him a prime candidate to score.

Willson Contreras to Record a Hit (-210 at FanDuel)
Contreras is batting .298 with a .540 slugging percentage. Given Seymour’s tendency to surrender base runners, Contreras is well-positioned for a base hit.

Red Sox vs Rays Odds & Betting Splits

The graphic above shows the best available odds, which are subject to change. Be sure to use the BetMGM promo code to bet on Red Sox vs Rays or any other MLB game.

The betting odds reflect a tightly contested divisional matchup. The Red Sox enter as slight road favorites on the moneyline (-115 at bet365) despite their overall losing record. Conversely, the Rays are positioned as narrow home underdogs (-102 at FanDuel).

Taking the Rays to keep the game within a single run requires laying a steep -170 in juice.

The total opened at 7.5 runs, with the Over paying at -120 odds at bet365, while DraftKings has upped the number to 8.0 runs, with the juice at -118.

When checking the MLB public betting splits, the public is in big favor of the Red Sox covering the -1.5 spread, as it’s getting a massive 83% of the money on just 26% of the bets, meaning there are plenty of big bets on the BoSox.

The moneyline is still significantly Beantown leaning, with 61% of the money and 51% of the bets taking the Red Sox to win outright.

As for the total, the public is convinced this one is topping the 7.5 runs set for Monday, with 82% of the money and 85% of the bets banging the Over.