One of the most intriguing stories of last years Major League Baseball season was the Tampa Bay Rays.
The perennial doormat of the AL East, the Rays had a season for the ages, beating out perennial division power Boston Red Sox, for last years division titleTampa Bay finished the regular season with a record of 97-65 while Boston finished second with a 95-67. Online sportsbooks had the Rays listed in the MLB future odds as longshots to win anything in 2008.
Boston and Tampa Bay went on to face one another in the AL championship series with the Rays once again prevailing, in seven games, for the AL pennant; the Rays would lose to the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series.
The two teams opened this years regular season with a four-game set at Fenway with one game being postponed and the Rays going 2-1 in the other three games.
Glancing at the standings today, it looks like as if the past is being revisited as Boston is sitting atop the division (tied with Toronto) with a 14-7 record while Tampa Bay is in the basement with a record of 8-14.
Starting today, the two will begin another four-game series, this time at Tampa Bay, with SPORTSBETTING.com listing both teams listed at -110 for tonights game and the Total set at 9.
One of the reasons for the Rays current woes is their home record but while Tampa Bay is 2-5 at Tropicana Field this season, they have been far more profitable when hosting the Boston Red Sox going 13-7 SU and 8-12 O/U in the last 20 games against its division rival.
The BoSox will send Josh Beckett to the mound tonight and while the righty is 11-9 in his last 20 road games, his last six trips to Tampa Bay resulted in a 2-4 record SU and on the Over/Under. However, in Becketts last 10 Thursday road games, he is 7-3.
Meanwhile, the Rays will rely on Matt Garza on the mound tonight.
Garzas home record in the last 20 games, like Beckett on the road, is 11-9 and he is an identical 8-12 O/U record in the same time.
Unlike Beckett, Garza has a winning record at home against the BoSox going 4-0 SU and 1-3 O/U.
The sports betting public are leaning to the Red Sox in this one, as early betting action has 68% of the volume landing on the crew from Beantown.
Game 2 goes Friday with righty Justin Masterson taking the mound for Boston and righty Andy Sonnanstine going for the home team.
When going up against right-handed pitchers, Boston has gone 12-8 in its last 20 games and 7-1 in its last eight.
Tampa Bay on the other hand, is Even Stephen in its last 20 games against right-handers, going 10-10.
Masterson is 7-4 in his last 11 games while Sonnanstine has dropped his last five games in a row and 0-4 on the Over/Under in his last four.
It will be right-hander Tim Wakefields turn in the rotation for Boston on Saturday and ditto for righty Jeff Niemann for Tampa Bay.
Wakefield is 3-4 in his last seven tilts at Tropicana Field and 0-4 in his last four; he has also gone 2-5 on the O/U in his last seven games in Tampa Bay.
Wakefields last eight Saturday games have produced a 6-2 record and 8-straight Overs.
Niemann is 3-3 in his last six and 2-4 on the Over/Under.
The rubber match goes Sunday and it will see Bostons Brad Penny going against Tampa Bays James Shields.
Before signing with the BoSox, Penny pitched in the NL, so he hasnt seen much action against the Rays; his lifetime record against Tampa Bay is 1-2.
Penny isnt a profitable Sunday pitcher either, going 8-12 in his last 20 Sunday road games.
Shields isnt much better against Boston at home either, going 2-5 in his last seven home games against the BoSox and he is 2-9 in his last 11 games against the Sox overall.
While its too early to tell if Boston and Tampa Bay will be battling out for the AL East division, this weekends series should still bring some drama.
Enjoy all the action and be sure to check out all the baseball lines at SPORTSBETTING.com
Kevin Taylor is a veteran handicapper and student of the sports betting world. He has written for several media outlets, focusing on sports, sports betting and online poker.
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