The Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays will kick off their best-of-five American League Division Series on Thursday at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. The winner will advance to the AL Championship Series, where they’ll play for a chance to win the pennant and represent the league in this fall’s World Series.
The Rays, the AL East champions and the No. 1 seed in the American League, are seeking their second consecutive trip to the Championship Series. The Red Sox vanquished the rival New York Yankees in the Wild Card Game and are looking for their first postseason series win since their run to the 2018 World Series.
On paper, the Rays would appear to be the favorites. They finished the regular season with a significantly better run differential despite playing the same basic schedule. Anything can happen over the course of a five-game series, however, so it wouldn’t be smart to write off the possibility that the Red Sox pull the upset.
Below, you’ll find all you need to know about the ALDS — the dates and times of each game, as well as the probables and the television carriers.
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Game 1 – Thu., Oct. 7 |
8:07 p.m. ET |
LHP Shane McClanahan (10-6, 3.43 ERA) vs. TBA |
FS1 |
|
Game 2 – Fri., Oct. 8 |
7:02 p.m. ET |
RHP Shane Baz (2-0, 2.03 ERA) vs. TBA |
FS1 |
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Game 3 – Sun., Oct 10 |
4:07 p.m. ET |
TBA |
MLBN |
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Game 4 – Mon, Oct. 11* |
TBA |
TBA |
FS1 |
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Game 5 – Wed., Oct. 13* |
TBA |
TBA |
FS1 |
*if necessary
The Rays finished the regular season with the second highest scoring offense in baseball, which is remarkable considering their home ballpark is one of the most pitcher friendly in the sport. Tampa did have one of the highest strikeout rates in the majors, though they do enough other things (base running, defense, etc.) to make up for it. And, of course, their pitching is outstanding.
As for the Red Sox, they also boast one of the highest scoring offenses in the game, though their lineup is a bit more top heavy. They are not a good defensive team, however, nor do they steal bases all that often. It’s a one-dimensional attack. Their pitching can be hit or miss, with several studs (Nathan Eovaldi, Chris Sale, Garrett Whitlock, etc.) but also a few guys who make you nervous.
It should be noted that the Rays went 11-8 against the Red Sox during the regular season, though they only outscored them 106-104. The season series was pretty evenly matched. At Tropicana Field, the Red Sox went 3-7, and all seven losses came consecutively. Boston did win their final two games at Tampa this year.
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