Red Sox vs. Rays prediction and odds for Thursday, April 13 (Ride the Rays)

The Tampa Bay Rays have been the hottest team in Major League Baseball this year and it hasn’t even been close.

If you’ve been betting on them, you’ve made a nice handful of cash. So, why stop now?

The Rays are playing at home, have the offensive advantage, and are starting the much better pitcher. It seems like a no-brainer, right?

Let’s take a look at the odds to help us determine if Tampa Bay is th bet to make in this Thursday afternoon AL East showdown.

Red Sox vs. Rays odds, run line, and total

Red Sox vs. Rays prediction and pick

Not only do I think the Rays will win the game, but I’m willing to bet they win with margin so I’m going to take their run line at plus-money, which means I need them to win by at least two runs.

Jeffrey Springs will take the mound for the Rays on Friday, and he’s yet to allow a run in the 2023 season, pitching 13.0 scoreless innings across two starts. He has also only allowed three hits and four walks over that span.

Now, he gets to take on Corey Kluber on the Red Sox who has had quite the opposite start to his season. Kluber has a 6.48 ERA through his first two starts, and a 1.680 WHIP to go along with it.

It’s also worth noting that the Red Sox have struggled against left-handed pitchers so far this season, ranking 20th in OPS against lefties at 0.703. That’s bad news for them because, you guessed it, Spring is a lefty.

Meanwhile, the Rays lead virtually every single offensive category in baseball.

Sometimes when a team is hot, you just need to ride them. Give me Tampa Bay on the run line on Friday.