I will declare this my BEST BET of the night. Chew on that!!

mickey · #1 04-30-2009, 12:12 PM

Boston at Tampa Bay

Josh Beckett takes the mound tonight, and that spells danger for the Rays as Beckett is coming off one of the worst performances of his career. He went 5 innings giving up 10 hits and 8 runs to the Yankees on April 25th. He also started five games verse the Rays last season, which was more then any other team he faced. In those five starts he went 2-1 with a 2.06 ERA while striking out 37 batters in 35 innings. He also held Tampa to a .209 BA.

Tampa Bay is 8-14 on the year and look terrible in every way. They must be thrilled they are finally coming home from their nine game road trip in which they lost four of their last five games.Garza last year was 2-2 against Boston with a 4.50 ERA. This is a big game. Yes, I am aware it is only April and I may be exaggerating its importance a bit, however, Tampa can not afford to fall behind too many games. Tampa is a slight underdog for a good reason,WHY??

Simple: The Red Sox are 12-1 in their last 13 games. The Rays are 4-10 in their last 14 games overall. Now, this is where the trends will steer you in the wrong direction. Boston is 3-11 against the Rays in the last 14 games in Tampa Bay. The Rays are 13-6 in their last 19 meetings overall verse the Sox. Forget that. Josh Beckett is coming off of a start at home in which he was blasted by the Yankees. The type of competitor that he is, combined with how bad the Rays are playing, sets this up for a Red Sox victory. Many will think that with Boston traveling from Cleveland to Tampa they will be tired. I laugh at that, this is a group of champions.

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