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Tonight, the Tampa Bay Rays (43-37) are set to take on the Boston Red Sox (45-35) in the second game of a three-game series. After coming off of a five-game winning streak, the Rays were shut out in a 4-0 loss in the first game of the series to their divisional foe.
Final on the 4th pic.twitter.com/nCr5H38mBG
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) July 4, 2022
Rays Hope for Better Hitting Performance
The Rays recorded two hits in yesterday’s game as the Red Sox struck out 11 batters. Kutter Crawford accounted for eight strikeouts as he dealt in front of a home crowd through 5.1 IP.
That's a 7K day for Kutter Crawford! pic.twitter.com/estZlZfx8U
— Red Sox (@RedSox) July 4, 2022
After recording at least nine hits in four of the five games during their winning streak, Tampa’s only offensive production came from Yandy Díaz and Wander Franco, as each player recorded one hit on four at-bats.
Pitching Matchup
Jeffrey Springs (3-2, 2.25 ERA) and Nick Pivetta (8-5, 3.23 ERA) are the expected starting pitchers for tonight. In his previous outing, Springs allowed three runs on seven hits and struck out nine batters through 6 IP.
Additionally, Springs will have his work cut out for him tonight as he’ll be starting on the road against one of the hottest teams in the league. In eight road games this season, Springs is 2-1 with a 2.76 ERA.
Battle for the Wildcard
With the Yankees running away with the AL East, the battle for second place remains a tight one. The Tampa Bay Rays, Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays all remain separated by one game.
All three of these teams currently own a wild card spot. However, teams such as the Cleveland Guardians and Seattle Mariners remain hot on their trail. The All-Star Break has yet to occur, but both the Rays and Red Sox know the importance of winning these divisional matchups.
First Pitch
With wildcard spots up for grabs, the Rays hope to even up this series against the red-hot Red Sox.
Live coverage of this game begins tonight at 6:30 PM EST on ESPN 95.3 FM/850 AM WRUF.
