The oddsmakers have never counted the Boston Red Sox out, as they have been near the top of the World Series odds all season despite only making it into the postseason as a wild-card team. After taking their ALDS series against Los Angeles, the Red Sox will have another shot at the team that took their East crown, the upstart Tampa Bay Rays. The divisional rivals kick off the American League Championship Series on Friday at Tropicana Field, and Red Sox vs Rays odds have Boston as a slight favorite to capture their third pennant in five years.

The Red Sox continued their postseason domination of the Angeles with a four-game victory, sparked by Jason Bay, who is making his first playoff appearance after toiling in Pittsburgh for his entire career. Bay hit .412 in the ALDS, along with a pair of homers and five RBIs, and he also scored the series-clinching run. Many thought the Red Sox would falter when they traded Manny Ramirez to the Dodgers, but by getting Bay out of the deal, GM Theo Epstein is looking like a brilliant man. However, the Red Sox, who are favored -140 for this series, along with World Series odds of +205, must be concerned with the health of Josh Beckett, who started in the Red Sox’s only loss to the Angels.

Tampa Bay just keeps on winning, and those who bet on the Rays are making out like bandits this season. The Rays rolled to a four-game win over the Chicago White Sox, powered by the combination of B.J. Upton and Evan Longoria. These two budding stars (or in Longoria’s case, full-blown star) combined for five homers and seven RBIs in the ALDS, sparking a Tampa Bay offense who hit .297 as a team after hitting .260 in the regular season. This has allowed the Rays to get away with a couple of uncharacteristically poor pitching performances, but that is no surprise from Tampa Bay, who have been finding ways to win all season.

The Red Sox vs Rays betting line has Boston as a -140 favorite, even though they dropped ten of 18 to Tampa Bay in the regular season. Boston knows as well as anyone that the playoffs are completely different, and they should be able to find an extra gear. Now, the question will be, can the Rays match their intensity? We could be seeing a “passing of the torch”, but do not bet on Boston to give up the throne so easily.

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