Tampa Bay Rays vs. Boston Red Sox Picks and Predictions: May 7, 2026
Written by: Nate Hornung
Published: Thu May 07, 2026, 10:50 am ET
Read Time: 5 minutes
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Two teams in the AL East meet at Fenway Park for their first series of the entire season. The Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays will see each other 13 times throughout this MLB season, but it all begins tonight with the start of four games throughout the weekend. Both teams bring pretty substantial winning streaks into this game, and the race for the division is on, although it's still early. Let's check in with our MLB analysts and look at their favorite picks in this game.
Check out the best odds on the market at our top online sportsbooks.
Tampa Bay Rays vs. Boston Red Sox MLB Betting Insights
Jarren Duran is not doing well for the Red Sox. He hits just .190 this season with 37 strikeouts
The Tampa Bay Rays have now won five straight games, however all of them were at home. Now they head on the road to take on a division rival. However, the Rays are 10-8 away from home this season and 24-12 overall. Compare that to the Red Sox, who yes, have won three straight. But they are also at the bottom of the AL East with a 16-21 record, going to 6-10 at home.
Griffin Jax takes the bump for the Rays, and I doubt he stays out there for too long. Typically, this guy comes out of the bullpen and hardly ever throws more than a couple innings. Seems like we should see a string of pitchers for the visitors today. As for the hosts, Jake Bennett gets the start as the Red Sox give the southpaw the nod on the bump. Check out the betting odds and keep reading for our picks and predictions.
Matchup Information – Rays vs. Red Sox – May 7
- Venue & Location: Fenway Park (Boston, MA)
- Date: Thursday, May 7, 2026
- First Pitch: 7:00 p.m. Eastern
- Broadcast: ESPN
Rays vs. Red Sox Pitching Matchup
- Tampa Bay Rays: RHP Griffin Jax (1-2, 5.14 ERA, 1,50 WHIP)
- Boston Red Sox: LHP Jake Bennett (1-0, 1.80 ERA, 1.40 WHIP)
Rays vs. Red Sox Betting Odds
Odds are courtesy of our friends at Lucky Rebel Sportsbook, as of May 7, 2026, at 10:22 a.m. eastern. Sign up today and get a $1,250 deposit bonus as well as 50 slot spins immediately in your account and start betting at the sportsbook with the most competitive odds in the industry, and a wide variety of unique markets not offered anywhere else.
Run Line
- Rays +1.5 (-220)
- Red Sox -1.5 (+180)
Moneyline
- Rays -104
- Red Sox -116
Total
- Over 8.5 (-112)
- Under 8.5 (-108)
Tampa Bay Rays vs. Boston Red Sox MLB Picks
Yandy Diaz and the Rays take on the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Will the Rays keep their winning streak alive?
Rays vs. Red Sox Prediction: Rays Win Outright, Over 8.5
Best Bet: Rays/Red Sox Over 8.5 (-108) Lucky Rebel Sportsbook
We are backing our first over of the year on the diamond tonight in Fenway. The Rays bats have been lighting up anybody that stands in their way over the past week, and their .254 team batting average doesn't drop too much against left handed pitching. They still hit .245 against LHP and .249 on the road this year.
As for the Red Sox, the splits are actually not in their favor. Their team average decreases both at home and against righties. However they are hitting .266 over the past week with a .313 OBP, while the Rays have been hitting .273 with a .333 OBP. This puts them both in the top 10 of the MLB in those categories over the past seven games or so.
I think that translates to plenty of runs tonight, and it wouldn't surprise me if the Rays do most of the heavy lifting by themselves.
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Nate has been a recreational sports bettor for about 5 years. In that time, he has grown to love the pursuit of winners and sticking it to The Man. Nate loves data and uses his understanding of numbers to help him be a more profitable sports gambler, however he will be the first to tell you this game is about more than just stats.
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