Red Sox vs. Rays: Picks, predictions, how to watch Monday’s game

The Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays square off on Monday with first pitch set for 7:10 p.m. ET. The game takes place at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida and will only be available on local TV or through an MLB.tv subscription. Brayan Bello (0-1, 9.00 ERA) will start for the Red Sox, and Matt Wisler (2-3, 2.58 ERA) will begin on the mound for the Rays.

Boston (47-39) split a four-game series with the New York Yankees with a pair of thrilling come-from-behind victories in the final two. Bello will make his second start of his MLB career after allowing 4 runs on 6 hits and 3 walks over 4 innings in last week’s loss to the Rays. The Red Sox rank No. 1 in batting average (.261), and their top hitter Rafael Devers missed the last two games with a back injury.

Tampa Bay (45-40) is coming off a disappointing weekend when the Rays were swept by the Cincinnati Reds. Wisler will get the start as he makes his 36th appearance of the season, so this will be a bullpen game for the Rays. Tampa Bay ranks No. 25 in OPS (.684), and Randy Arozarena has driven in a team-high 40 runs after hitting a homer in yesterday’s loss.

Red Sox vs. Rays

Pitchers: Brayan Bello vs. Matt Wisler
First pitch: 7:10 p.m. ET
Red Sox local broadcast: NESN
Rays local broadcast: Bally Sports Sun
Live stream: MLB.tv (subscription)

Odds, picks & predictions

Run Line: Red Sox -1.5 (+145)
Run total: 8
Moneyline odds: Red Sox -115, Rays -105

Moneyline pick: Rays -105

Tampa Bay had plenty of success against Bello last week, and the Rays should be aggressive at the plate again against the 23-year-old pitcher. Offense was not the issue in yesterday’s loss as the Rays pounded out 12 hits, and Yandy Diaz recorded 3 hits with a couple of RBI.

Player prop pick: Brayan Bello Over 3.5 strikeouts (-175)

Bello struck out 2 hitters against the Rays last week, but he had a 10.8 K/9 over four seasons in the minor leagues. Tampa Bay strikes out quite a bit with 8.8 K’s per game, which ranks No. 24 in the MLB.

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