Gameday Preview (Saturday): Rays Try to Avoid Third Straight Series Loss vs. Red Sox
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The Boston Red Sox stole third place in the American League East from the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday night, thanks to a walk-off blast by Ceddanne Rafaela.
With their backs against the wall, Tampa Bay looks to avoid its fifth-straight series loss and third straight to Boston when the two clubs square off in Game 3 of a four-game set on Saturday at 4:10 p.m. ET. at Fenway Park.
After allowing three runs to the Detroit Tigers and earning his fourth loss of the season, Rays righty Shane Baz (8-4, 4.34 ERA) looks to get back in the win column in a duel against Red Sox All-Star southpaw, Garrett Crochet.
Baz maintains the best record among Tampa Bay's starters and has the second-most strikeouts on the team (104) behind Ryan Pepiot (107). In the past month, Baz's 39 punchouts tie Minnesota's Joe Ryan and Pittsburgh's Paul Skenes for the eighth most in the league. Baz has found success against the Red Sox in his career, going 3-0 with a 2.96 ERA and 29 strikeouts in four appearances.
Crochet enters Saturday's contest with the second-most strikeouts in baseball (151) behind Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal (153). Additionally, his 2.39 ERA is No. 7 among starting pitchers. Crochet hasn't faced the Rays since 2021, when he was a member of the Chicago White Sox.
Here's how to watch Saturday's game:
Who: Tampa Bay Rays (50-45) at Boston Red Sox (51-45)
When: Saturday, July 12, at 4:10 p.m. ET.
Where: Fenway Park, Boston
TV: FanDuel Sports Sun
Radio: WDAE 95.3 FM/620 AM, WQBN 106.7/1300 AM (Spanish)
Betting information: The Red Sox are the money line favorite on HardRockBet.com at minus-185, and the Rays' money line odds are at plus-155. On the run line, you can bet the Red Sox minus-1.5 at plus-105 odds, and the Rays plus-1.5 at minus-130 odds. The over/under is 7.5 runs.
Here are the starting lineups for both teams:
Rays Batting Order
- Yandy Diaz 1B
- Ha-Seong Kim 2B
- Jake Mangum CF
- Junior Caminero DH
- Christopher Morel LF
- Curtis Mead 3B
- Danny Jansen C
- José Caballero RF
- Taylor Walls SS
Red Sox Batting Order
- Jarren Duran CF
- Ceddanne Rafaela 2B
- Roman Anthony LF
- Carlos Navarez C
- Masataka Yoshida DH
- Trevor Story SS
- Wilyer Abreu RF
- Abraham Toro 1B
- Marcelo Mayer 3B
Rays newsy nuggets
LATE-GAME LETDOWNS: The Rays have held a multi-run lead in three straight and six of their seven losses in July. Entering the month, Tampa Bay only had 13 blown lead losses all season. However, the Rays' 19 blown lead losses are still the fourth fewest in the American League behind the Detroit Tigers (12), the Houston Astros (14) and the Toronto Blue Jays (15).
SIMPSON'S STREAK CONTINUES: Rays center fielder Chandler Simpson extended his hitting streak to 15 games on Friday, the longest by a rookie in franchise history.
MANGUM SETS RECORD VS. RED SOX: Rays outfielder Jake Mangum is batting 14-for-27 (.519) against Red Sox pitchers. The 14 hits are the most in Rays history through a player's first eight career games vs. Boston.
Related Rays Stories
- RED SOX STUN RAYS IN WALK-OFF WIN: Friday night's loss to the Boston Red Sox may have been the most heartbreaking of the season for the Tampa Bay Rays as they try to navigate out of a slump. CLICK HERE
- RAYS ALL-STAR BRANDON LOWE PLACED ON IL: Ahead of Game 2 in a four-game series against the Boston Red Sox, the Tampa Bay Rays placed All-Star second baseman Brandon Lowe on the 10-day injured list while recalling infielder Curtis Mead. CLICK HERE
- RAYS 2025 SCHEDULE: Here is the complete 2025 Tampa Bay Rays schedule, with dates, locations, game times and results in real time. CLICK HERE
Don Strouble is a sports journalist who covers Tampa Bay Rays baseball and other sports for the ‘’On SI’’ network. He is a Northeast Ohio native and currently lives in Orlando, Fla.
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