The Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays, two AL East division rivals, will kick off the week with a three-game series at Tropicana Field.
The Boston Red Sox have struggled in May as they have compiled a record of 6-11 this month and are coming off a 1-2 series loss on the road against the St. Louis Cardinals; however, the series ended with an 11-3 win in Game 3 of the series on Sunday, which also ended their four-game losing streak.
The Red Sox have lost two series in a row, including a 1-3 series loss at home against the Tampa Bay Rays last week and a 1-2 series loss on the road against the Cardinals. With a record of 23-24 and a 1-6 record in AL East Division games this season, Boston's opponents have outscored them by an average of 3.71 to 6.14 runs per game as they enter the series against the Rays.
The Red Sox have struggled in their last ten games in the series against the Rays, as they have lost eight of the last ten, including three of the four this season, and have lost by an average margin of 1.4 runs per game in the last ten games in the series. The Boston Red Sox will look to end their two-game losing streak in the series when they travel to face the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 1.
Tampa Bay has won two consecutive series in the AL East, following a 3-1 series win on the road against the Boston Red Sox and a 2-1 series win on the road against the Toronto Blue Jays; however, they say their four-game losing streak came to an end on Sunday with a 2-5 loss in Game 3 of the series against the Toronto Blue Jays.
After winning their previous two series, the Tampa Bay Rays have improved their record to two games above.500 at 25-23, which puts them in 3rd place in the AL East and eight games behind the New York Yankees, who have the best record in the American League.
This season, the Rays have already had a series against the Red Sox, which resulted in a 3-1 series win on the road while winning by an average margin of one run per game. The Tampa Bay Rays will look to extend their winning streak in the series to three games when they host the Boston Red Sox for Game 1 of the three-game series on Monday evening.
On Monday evening, the Tampa Bay Rays are listed as -115 moneyline favorites at home against the Boston Red Sox for Game 1 of the series, according to WagerWeb. Tampa Bay has won eight of the last ten, including three of the four meetings this season, while having won by an average margin of 1.4 runs per game over the last ten and one run per game this season.
Tanner Houck is 0-3 in his last three starts this season, including a loss at home against the Rays; however, he enters the game with an ERA of 2.17, while Taj Bradley has won his last three starts against Boston while allowing a total of seven runs and recording 20 strikeouts in those matchups.
The Tampa Bay Rays enter this game having won four of their last five games and won the series against the Red Sox earlier this season on the road 3-1, while also having won eight of the last ten, including two straight in the series. Taj Bradley's last three starts against the Red Sox have resulted in a record of 3-0.
Take the moneyline for the Tampa Bay Rays when they host the Boston Red Sox for Game 1 of the series on Monday.
