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With the All-Star Break just days away, the Tampa Bay Rays and the Atlanta Braves are both hoping to win their series against their divisional foes with playoff implications already on the line.
Rays Hope to Strengthen Position In AL East
The Tampa Bay Rays are set to take on the Boston Red Sox tonight as they hope to win their second consecutive series against them.
Take ‘em however you can get ‘em#RaysUp
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) July 13, 2022
With the Yankees leading the division by 14 games, it’s a battle for the wild card. The second-place Rays currently have the upper hand over the rest of the AL East, leading the Boston Red Sox by one game.
Pitching Matchup
Shane McClanahan (9-3, 1.73 ERA) is the expected starting pitcher for the Tampa Bay Rays, and Josh Winckowski (3-3, 4.35 ERA) is expected to start for the Boston Red Sox.
In his last six starts, McClanahan has allowed nine runs on 19 hits through 40 innings pitched. The recently-dubbed All-Star Pitcher and current AL Cy Young front runner has been stellar this season. At only 25 years old, the Rays’ ace has already established himself as one of the best pitchers in baseball.
Rays Batters Rally Behind Their Ace
As nice as it is to have someone like McClanahan on the mound for an important game like this, the Rays have had their way with the Red Sox pitchers so far this series.
In the first game of the series, the Rays scored 10 runs off of 14 hits, with five of them coming in the first two innings of the game.
While last night’s game wasn’t as explosive offensively, Harold Ramirez dazzled with another strong hitting performance. The first baseman has recorded four hits in six at-bats during the series, along with two RBIs. Ramirez hopes to continue his hot streak against Winckowski, who has allowed 25 hits in his last four starts.
Braves Look to Close NL East Margin
The Atlanta Braves are looking to win a pivotal series tonight after splitting the first two games with the division-leading New York Mets.
Braves WIN!@TruistNews | #ForTheA pic.twitter.com/yvWvhzaEIB
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) July 13, 2022
The stakes could not be higher for the defending World Series champions, as they currently sit 1.5 games behind the Mets in the NL East standings.
Pitching Matchup
Charlie Morton (5-3, 4.21 ERA) is the expected starter for the Atlanta Braves, and Chris Bassitt (6-6, 3.94 ERA) is expected to start for the New York Mets.
In his previous outing against the Mets in early May, the 38-year-old pitcher allowed five runs on seven hits through 5 2/3 innings. He has been a hot hand as of late, allowing only six runs in his last five starts. Morton will look to keep his momentum going into a game with such high playoff implications.
Braves Hope to Get Bats Going
In both of the previous two games of the series, the Braves recorded only five hits. While this proved to be enough in yesterday’s 4-1 come-from-behind win, they may need more offensive production to get the win in Wednesday’s game.
First Pitch
Tune in to 98.1 FM/850 AM for coverage of the Rays vs. Red Sox at 6:30 PM.
