Tampa Bay Rays Look to Sweep the Boston Red Sox This Weekend

The Tampa Bay Rays currently have the best record in the MLB at 14-5 and sitting at the top of the American League.

Looking Back On Thursday

The Rays came close to sweeping the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday night. The Rays were down 5-4 in the ninth inning, but a home run from Avisaíl García tied the game.

This ball (literally) never landed.#RaysUp pic.twitter.com/plKS13GqXe

— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) April 19, 2019

However, in the eleventh inning, the Orioles scored and the Rays struck out. Baltimore won, 6-5.

The Rays never give up on anything, García said.

Despite the loss, outfielder Tommy Pham was an asset to the batting lineup. He singled at the bottom of the first, allowing teammate Austin Meadows to score. Pham also hit a home run at the bottom of the third, which kept the score tied up, 2-2.

However, pitching was a different story. Hunter Wood did well in the first two innings, but when replaced with Jalen Beeks there was a different story. In three innings, Beeks allowed three runs on six hits.

Upcoming Series Against the Red Sox

The series against the Boston Red Sox begins today at 7:10 p.m in Tampa. The World Series champions are at the bottom of the American League with an overall record of 6-13 coming into the series against the Rays.

New series starts today. Let's roll. https://t.co/wYVrj6HEjy #RaysUp pic.twitter.com/3fYEsaJkLc

— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) April 19, 2019

Tampa Bay leads with a 2.50 ERA and offense ranks third versus Boston’s 6.01 ERA and their 24th offense ranking. They also won all their series this season, but only sweeping the Chicago White Sox at the beginning of the month.

To fix the pitching problem, the Rays will be going with an opener again. Wood will make the start, giving the team starters an extra day of rest. Charlie Morton will follow up on Saturday and Tyler Glasnow on Sunday.

The dream conclusion to the series would be a sweep, but the Red Sox are hungry for some wins to turn their season around. The Rays can bury them easily this weekend or put up a good fight to keep their strong record.

When to Tune In

Game 1: Friday, 4/19 at 7:10 p.m.

Game 2: Saturday, 4/20 at 6:10 p.m.

Game 3: Sunday, 4/21 at 2:10 p.m.