Category: Baseball

It’s getaway day game time at the Stadium! The Yankees are up bright and early for a 12:35 pm start as they host the Rangers, seeking to win their sixth consecutive series. The Bombers outslugged Texas and handed a second loss to Jacob deGrom in the opener, before suffering a second defeat at the hands of Nathan Eovaldi. This time around, both teams will be seeing new pitchers in the rubber match.

Forgive me in advance for the joke, but sometimes they write themselves: Ryan Weathers is under the weather. He was originally scheduled to make this start, but a bout with a nasty illness has him unable to go. Paul Blackburn, who has plenty of MLB starting experience, will take the ball in his place. Blackburn has appeared in nine games so far in relief, and has only gone more than two innings once, so I don’t think anyone’s expecting him to put up a full start. It’ll probably be closer to a bullpen game—especially since all the high-leverage arms got the night off in yesterday’s defeat. The Yankees also brought Brendan Beck up from Triple-A for a potential debut, sending Yerry De los Santos down after quite a few pitches of near-mop-up work on Wednesday.

Lefty MacKenzie Gore was the Rangers’ big offseason prize from a blockbuster trade with the Nationals, but his first season in Texas has been up-and-down. The 27-year-old has a 4.67 ERA through seven starts and has had issues with command, ballooning his pitch counts and shortening his outings. He only managed 3.2 inconsistent innings against Detroit in his last start, and hasn’t pitched into the sixth since his first two assignments of the year. Gore has always been a can’t-miss talent and remains one of the best strikeout pitchers in baseball (29.8 K% this year), but the walks have been uncomfortably frequent (11.9 BB%). It’s up to the Yankee lineup to make him labor again.

Today’s lineup is kind of a weird one. Still no Ben Rice; Paul Goldschmidt moves back into the leadoff spot ahead of Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger, followed by cleanup hitter Amed Rosario. Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Jasson Domínguez will bat next, with Trent Grisham moving from the leadoff position to the seven-hole. Max Schuemann will play shortstop in lieu of José Caballero, who got hit by a pitch last night, and J.C. Escarra will catch this day game following a night game.

How to Watch:

Location: Yankee Stadium — Bronx, NY

First Pitch: 12:35 pm EDT

TV broadcast: YES, Rangers Sports Network, MLB Network

Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280 (NYY) | 105.3 The Fan, KFLC 1270 (TEX)

Online stream: Gotham Sports App, MLB Network (out-of-market)

For updates, follow us on BlueSky, Twitter, and Instagram, and like us on Facebook.

Ah, the Atlanta Braves and the West Coast. It’s truly a match made in the underworld as far as the Braves are concerned, as the games always just feel like they go one of two ways: Miserable slogs that have you like “I stayed up all night for this?” or miserable slogs that result in the Braves snatching and clawing their way to a close victory. Either way, it’s rarely ever a fun little ol’ romp for the Braves out West and this series was another example of that.

The Mariners weren’t coming into this series playing with their hair on fire or anything like that after they had gotten swept by the Royals (at home, no less) over the course of the weekend. Still, when it comes to games in this part of the country for the Braves, you always have to take it one day at the time and each game provides its own unique (and likely dreadful) set of challenges. So how did this series end up going? Let’s get into it.

Monday, May 4

Mariners 5, Braves 4

The force was with the Braves’ bats on this particular day but as it turned out, this ended up being a matter of picking spots rather than quantity of homers. Atlanta had no trouble dealing with Logan Gilbert while he was out there, as the Braves teed off on him for four home runs during the six innings that he spent on the mound. Matt Olson’s homer in particular was a big one, as that was his 300th career homer. Drake Baldwin, Ozzie Albies and Austin Riley each homered as well, with Riley’s homer making it a 4-0 game in the top of the sixth — which is when Atlanta hit three homers in that inning, alone.

Then the problems started for the Braves. JR Ritchie was doing fine through five innings and that maybe should’ve been all he got because he went out there for the sixth inning and immediately got in trouble. Two of Ritchie’s six walks came in this frame and they both cost him dearly once Luke Raley hit a dinger that brought Seattle to within one run. Tyler Kinley entered the game after that and got into a situation where there was a man on with two outs and J.P. Crawford at the plate. Unfortunately for us, Seattle’s empire struck back as Crawford lifted off on Kinley and hit one deep to right field that gave the Mariners the lead. Atlanta was unable to wake up their bats again and this one ended in a series-opening loss for the Braves.

Tuesday, May 5

Braves 3, Mariners 2

J.P. Crawford got the Mariners started on the good foot once again, as he hit a two-run dinger off of Bryce Elder to give Seattle a 2-0 lead in the third inning. The good news is that this was the extent of the damage that Elder allowed in this one, as he delivered another fine start on the mound. Elder went six innings and only gave up two hits with three walks while striking out nine batters. It’s starting to feel like 2023 up in here, y’all.

George Kirby was equally tough for the Braves to deal with but it wasn’t a perfectly clean outing for Kirby, though. Atlanta was able to get to Kirby in the fourth inning after Mauricio Dubón delivered another big hit during the early portion of his tenure with the Braves. His RBI double brought both Ozzie Albies and Matt Olson home to score and just like that, it was a tie ballgame.

It stayed tied all the way until the ninth inning, which is when a big hit could’ve turned the tide at any given moment. As it turned out, it was none other than the man who has consistently been coming up big for the Braves so far this season; Matt Olson got a pitch that he liked from Andrés Muñoz and crushed it for a go-ahead solo shot that put Atlanta ahead. Raisel Iglesias returned to action and made the save that evened up the series for the Braves.

Wednesday, May 6

Mariners 3, Braves 1

This was another close game and another one where the home team did just enough to get across the finish line and hand the Braves their first series loss of 2026. This time, the big hero (or villain, from our perspective) of the game for the Mariners was Bryan Woo. Woo bounced back from two rough starts in a row to look more like the guy who Seattle has expected to see over the past couple of years. Woo completely held the Braves in check while he was out there as he threw six scoreless innings and only surrendered a single hit and a pair of walks while striking out nine batters.

Martín Pérez made it into the sixth inning but he gave up a two-run dinger to Julio Rodríguez with one out in that sixth inning in order to break what was a scoreless deadlock. Didier Fuentes pitched two innings in this one but he gave up an RBI double to Cole Young in the ninth inning that gave Seattle a two-run lead that felt like double that amount with the way the Mariners were pitching in this one. The only reason why the Braves avoided getting shut out is because they were able to get something going in the eighth inning that led to a sacrifice fly from Dominic Smith to put them on the board. It also didn’t help matters that right after the sacrifice fly, pinch runner Jorge Mateo got thrown out for being a bit too casual getting back to first base on a pickoff attempt. Base runners were at a premium all day and that was a very frustrating way to lose an out to play with.

Outside of that, Atlanta was completely unable to get any real momentum going in this one and the first series loss of the season finally happened for the Braves. With that being said, losing a baseball game pales in comparison to losing a life, as Wednesday was certainly a somber day in Braves Country as the franchise mourned the loss of former owner Ted Turner.

Welp! If it takes until early-May to finally drop a series, then you’re doing pretty well, right? It also seemed like if this streak was going to come to an end at any point soon, it was going to happen while the Braves were in the Pacific Time Zone since it sure feels like this region has been a house of horrors for the Braves over the course of recent history. Still, credit has to go to the Mariners who were persistently hanging with the Braves and seemingly beating them upside the head with a club every time they got a good chance to do so. Seattle had timely hitting and their pitching was mostly good throughout the three games, so they certainly earned the series win.

As far as the Braves are concerned, this is one of those rare times where I’m actually not all that perturbed with a series loss. Atlanta still has a healthy buffer between themselves at the top of the division and the rest of their foes in the NL East and they also avoided a sweep. As long as they can avoid any extended losing streaks or dips in form, they’ll be fine going forward. Plus, seeing Matt Olson continue to rake is definitely a major positive as it’s becoming clearer and clearer that he could be in line to have a really big season here in 2026.

So, who knows? Maybe with the top arms in Atlanta’s rotation going for the series at Dodger Stadium, the pressure of keeping the series winning streak will be off and the Braves can actually go out and play confident baseball against a Dodgers team that will always be tough to deal with — especially in LA’s own stadium. All good things have to come to an end eventually and maybe ending it in Seattle was the perfect time for it to happen. Now granted, I think we’d all prefer to see this streak last forever but again, what did I just say about all good things? It’s now time to hope that Chris Sale, Spencer Strider and Bryce Elder can get the job done and that the bats can wake up in Los Angeles in order to end the road trip on a high note. Let’s see what happens!

Prior to Thursday afternoon’s game against the Rangers, the Yankees called up right-handed pitcher Brendan Beck. The 27-year-old has been with Triple-A Scranton-Wilkes Barre all season, and will likely make his big-league debut against Texas.

Across seven starts and 37 innings to this point in 2026, Beck’s results have been so-so. The righty has managed a 5.11 ERA and 4.61 FIP against Triple-A hitters, numbers hampered by a couple of rough starts, though his most recent effort saw him toss seven innings of two-run ball. His season debut saw him strike out nine batters in five shutout frames.

Beck also pitched in this year’s World Baseball Classic for Great Britain, where he tossed four scoreless and hitless frames in his lone start for the tournament. Beck features a four-pitch mix, headlined by a decent slider that moves well in both directions. His excellent command, however, shines brighter on the scouting report than any of his individual pitches do, as his fastball sits in the low 90s, and the curve just does enough to get him by.

Beck’s call up is likely a short-term look, to see if the 27-year-old can provide support in a long relief capacity. Carlos Rodón is slated to be activated and make his season debut on Sunday, a move that will likely reclaim Beck’s spot on the roster. With the recently-ill Ryan Weathers scratched for Thursday, Paul Blackburn is scheduled to start for the Yankees, with Beck potentially coming in to be the bulk pitcher against Texas.

If he does make an appearance, it will be the right-hander’s MLB debut, as the Yankees look to take the series against the Rangers, and build on their thin lead over Tampa Bay in the American League East.

The Cubs, needing an extra arm in the bullpen for Thursday’s game, today recalled right-handed reliever Gavin Hollowell from Triple-A Iowa. Hollowell pitched in six games for Iowa, covering eight innings, with a 2.25 ERA and 15 strikeouts.

To make room for Hollowell on the 26-man active roster, right-hander Corbin Martin was designated for assignment. Martin had made four pretty good appearances for the Cubs, including posting a save against the Dodgers, then he walked the only three batters he faced a week ago in San Diego. One of those batters scored. Fortunately, the Cubs won the game. Then he had a rough inning Sunday against the Diamondbacks and another one Wednesday night against the Reds.. He will likely clear waivers and the Cubs can send him back to Iowa… if they so choose.

This move opens a spot on the Cubs’ 40-man roster, so feel free to speculate.

Today’s game preview will post at 11:30 a.m. CT.

Texas Rangers @ New York Yankees

Thursday, May 7, 2026, 11:35 AM CDT (105.3 The Fan / Rangers Sports Network)

Yankee Stadium

LHP MacKenzie Gore vs. RHP Paul Blackburn

Go Rangers!

The Jays don’t play today, so I figured we’d do the open thread today.

There isn’t all that much for Jays news, as we wait to hear who leaves to make room for Addison Barger. It will be interesting, I’m not sure who I’d pick. Since Barger is a left-handed batter, a lefty batter would generally be the choice, as we do have a lot of left-handed batters on the roster. But some of them are going to have to learn to hit lefties.

Yohendrick Pinango had a couple of poor at bats against a lefty yesterday. Left-handed batters don’t see a lot of left-handed pitchers on their way up to the majors. Hitting pitches moving away from you isn’t all that easy. Of course, when Nathan Lukes comes back, it will be that much more of a question.

Speaking of Yohendrick, it is his 24th birthday today. Happy Birthday, young man. Enjoy it.

In the world of aging, Max Scherzer is seeking medical advise about his ‘battle with forearm tendinitis’ that isn’t improving. I hope his doctor is older than 40, because it will be easy for him. “You are getting older, things are going to hurt.” I’m sorry, things just hurt more. It isn’t all that bad really, just aches and pains last longer.

Ask anyone in their 50s or 60s, things hurt. I’ve had a pain in my knee for about a year. It ranges from slight pain to limping bad. It’s life.

It is part of why not many guys play profession baseball in the 40s.

Anyway, use the thread to discuss anything you want to.

Jaron Williams called time and made his way from behind the plate to the pitcher's mound. Williams overheard the opposing team talking about his pitcher, Aaron Reese.

"He's only pitching with one hand. What can he really do?"

Placing the ball in Reese's left hand, the catcher told him what he had heard. Reese didn't respond. He struck out 10 and walked away with a win.

The only words Williams had for the opposing team at the conclusion of the game was, "That's what my pitcher can do."

This happened a couple of years ago at a summer-league game, but Reese has spent his baseball life hearing variations of the same question – what can a pitcher with one fully-functional arm really do?

At Carver-Montgomery High School, that question has stopped being about limitation and started being about production. He's become a legitimate pitcher competing without adjustments from his coaching staff. What began as a curiosity to outsiders has become, for Aaron, simply baseball.

His junior season ended last month with a win in the area tournament. He struck out eight.

'What we do with two hands, he can do better with one'

Reese was born 13 pounds at birth. He got stuck in the birth canal because he was so big, doctors had to forcefully pull him out. When they did, it dislocated a nerve from his spinal cord, causing Erb's palsy.

"At that time, we didn't care. My baby was alive," Deirdre Reese told the Montgomery Advertiser.

Since then, Aaron has undergone several surgeries and been through therapy. Doctors say he will never have full use of his right arm.

That didn't keep him from developing a love for baseball.

He followed his brother, Kendall Reese, everywhere on a baseball field. Aaron's presence eventually promoted him to batboy. But batboy wasn't enough for Aaron. Sometimes, while sitting on Kendall's lap in the dugout, Aaron moved his hands in all sorts of directions around his torso and head — attempting to give signs to the team.

"He brought extra energy to the dugout," Kendall said.

Kendall knew it was time to get to work with Aaron. He couldn't waste a love for the game because of a nerve condition.

A patient brother and a painstaking process

It started with a tennis ball.

Kendall tossed Aaron a ball over and over in the field that surrounds their house in the country. At first, it wasn't about throwing or velocity, just learning how to secure the ball cleanly with his left hand. Then came the glove, and Kendall transitioned to another basic skill: getting the ball out the glove.

Aaron caught the ball in his glove, threw his glove down on the ground, picked up the ball that rolled out when it hit the ground and made the throw.

"When I first saw that, I was kind of shocked because I was like, his mind is actually working because I was thinking that he was going to try attempt to grab the ball with his other hand," Kendall said.

As surprised as he was, Kendall knew that transition wasn't going to cut it during a game.

Instead, Aaron learned to catch the ball in his glove, tuck it into his right armpit, collected the ball and make the throw.

It wasn't easy.

He would fumble with the glove and lose precious seconds getting the throw off. Kendall clocked him at 6 or 7 seconds to make a throw.

When Aaron first started pitching, he wouldn't put his glove on because he wanted get rid of the ball faster. In one game, he fielded a ball with his bare hand. His finger swelled up from taking the brunt force of the ball, forcing him to be pulled.

The frustration built. Sometimes, it was too much.

Tears in his eyes, Aaron wanted to give up. But the desire to play baseball burned too brightly.

Kendall decided to slow things down and make training baseball simple and fun with the introduction of the three-inning game. The game was a one-on-one showdown between Aaron and Kendall, with the objective of hitting the ball and making it all the way back to home before the other brother could tag the batter out.

As the big brother, Kendall wasn't going to show any mercy. But he started to notice that when he'd hit the ball at Aaron, he attempted to try and catch it. Over time, Aaron started to beat Kendall.

Kendall noticed Aaron smiling and laughing more. So, they started again.

This time, they worked on Aaron taking the glove on and off with the ball already inside. Soon, Kendall was timing his transfer to throw at 2 or 3 seconds.

"I could never make the switch as fast he could, even with two hands," Kendall said.

Fielding the ball, tucking the glove in the armpit and grabbing the ball now only takes Aaron 1.3 seconds. After two years of countless reps in the backyard and in the mirror, it's a seamless transition.

Now parents of opposing players seek Dierdre Reese out after games.

"They tell me that their players or sons can't give them any more excuses," Deirdre said. "They tell me that watching Aaron is an inspiration because it is a rarity to ever do what he does."

'I'm just a pitcher. Nothing else'

Aaron stands tall on the mound, his eyes focused on the catcher. He cradles his glove upright in his right arm with his left hand fiddling with the ball inside his glove to find the right fastball grip.

He kicks his right leg up, puffs his cheeks full of air, pulls his right arm into his chest like he's hugging his glove and rears his left arm towards home plate. As his left leg swings around to touch the ground in front of him, Aaron is sliding his left arm in his glove.

"I would put him up against anyone," Carver coach Quawon Baldwin said.

When Baldwin was coaching at Park Crossing and he'd face Aaron on the mound, he didn't ever see a pitcher with a disadvantage. He encouraged his players to give their maximum effort because that's what they were going to need to beat him.

Now that he is Aaron's coach, he doesn't give the lefty pitcher any special treatment.

During his junior season, Aaron's fastball was consistently clocking at 82 mph and could reach upwards to 87 when he was really feeling letting it fly.

"He wants to feel normal. So, with that being said, I push him as hard as the rest of the team," Baldwin said.

Said Aaron, "I love baseball, it's just something I've always done, and I'm in a mindset that I'm just a pitcher. Nothing else."

Aaron has two dreams, One large and one small.

The grander of the dreams is to be enshrined in the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame, but before he gets to that point, he needs to reach the smaller dream first.

That dream is of playing college baseball at the Division I level. It's a dream that is slowly unfolding with showcase invitations finding their way into his mailbox. Schools like Alabama, Vanderbilt, Mississippi State and Jacksonville State want to see Aaron on the mound for themselves.

There haven't been any formal offers extended, but when Baldwin takes his seniors on visits during the offseason, coaches make sure to check in on Aaron.

Aaron has heard the question for years. What can he really do?

At Carver, it's no longer a question that defines him. The answer has stopped being theoretical, it's become routine.

Just over six months after he was appointed at Ibrox, is Danny Rohl already on the proverbial shoogly peg?

The German revived Rangers and led them back into the title race after the calamitous tenure of Russell Martin, but his team have collapsed at the business end of the season.

Losses in both post-split games so far - at home to Motherwell and away to leaders Hearts - have effectively consigned Rangers to a second trophyless season on the bounce and turned up the heat on Rohl.

While some supporters will remain fully behind the 37-year-old, he may fall victim to the "dripping tap of negativity" that comes with life as an Old Firm manager.

"I think there's a stick or twist scenario for Rangers if this season pans out the way it's beginning to look at the moment," said Stephen McGowan, football writer with The Herald, on the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.

"Ultimately, the Rangers manager is judged by how many trophies he wins and on that score, it looks like Danny Rohl is going to fall short.

"In a rational football environment, probably he wouldn't come under anything like this amount of pressure, but this is not a rational environment, it's Glasgow.

"He did do exceptionally well to get him back in the race, but there are big questions over Danny Rohl now, these are dangerous times for him."

Rangers led 1-0 at Tynecastle on Monday night but one of the main talking points post-match was Rohl's inability to cope with Derek McInnes' tactical tweaks.

McGowan added: "I think there have been questions from supporters over his starting XI, over his ability to change things when tactics start to go against him.

"So, regardless of whether he deserves it or not, I think whenever a manager loses the faith in the support of supporters, at clubs like Celtic and Rangers, it's really hard to turn off the negative dripping tap, and I think that's where Danny Rohl is now."

Former Hearts manager Robbie Neilson reckons Rohl will remain in situ until the start of next season, but he will be immediately under fire should he fail to start fast.

"I think they've got to give him time and a bit of support, and also better recruitment over the course of the summer," Neilson said.

"I would be very surprised if he's not there come the start of the season, how long he gets will be dictated by the results at start of the season."

Very recently, I wrote an article here talking about the opportunity presented to the Yankees in 2026, competing for the top spot in an American League that lacked standout clubs. Some of their potential biggest adversaries were dealing with more than their fair share of issues in the Blue Jays and Mariners. Since then, the Yankees have continued to establish themselves as the best team in the AL, and at the moment their closest opponent is a largely anonymous Rays club that—while just a half-game behind New York at 24-12—no one is entirely sure what their ceiling might be. Now, we’ll address how this particular outlook affects other teams besides the Yankees.

A significant number of teams that fought at the top last season are off to forgettable starts in both leagues. The Phillies and Blue Jays could’ve very easily won the championship last season, for instance. The difference between these two is that although there are powerhouses in their respective divisions, they face battles of different levels trying to play their way back into playoff contention. While we can make all the remarks about it still being early, the Junior Circuit is setting up in a pool of mediocrity, incapable of punishing a team’s slow start.

This is the jumbled mess as of the morning of May 7th. The Yankees and Rays are, in fact, literally the only teams with winning records.

The Astros and Angels are tied for the worst record in the AL, and they’re three games back of the last Wild Card spot. Do you want to guess how many National League clubs have at worst an equal gap between them and that last Wild Card spot? The answer is six. The hapless Mets are already 5.5 games out, with only the Giants and Rockies holding uglier records.

It’s fitting that the aforementioned Astros would occupy that particular spot at the moment because they are the perfect example of a team that has managed to waste potential but at the same time isn’t that far away from entering playoff contention—particularly when you look at their offensive production, boasting a team OPS+ of 113 (though now they’ll have to get by without Carlos Correa). Hunter Brown is working his way back from a shoulder injury, and Tatsuya Imai will return soon. If both of these pitchers perform at their highest level, this could be a totally different Houston team, and you just don’t need a whole lot to go your way before hovering in contender status.

The best record from all 10 combined AL Central and AL West teams is … .500. The Guardians and A’s lead their divisions with middling marks, and you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who is very optimistic about either pulling away for a 90+ win season. The A’s in particular would probably be delighted to merely finish .500, and they appear unlikely to deviate too far from there.

Houston is a good example of what might happen, and the Royals are an interesting example of what’s currently happening. Here is a team that looked like the worst in baseball for the better part of April—dropping eight in a row at one point—but they’re already back in the thick of things following a five-game winning streak, a game and a half behind Cleveland. The rebuilding Twins are not expected to be competitive but with a few wins here and there, they could almost accidentally end up in the mix too. And remember when the Red Sox looked to be in complete disarray after firing Alex Cora? They woke up that morning tied with KC for the league’s worst record at 9-17; the underwhelming play of much of the Junior Circuit could very well allow them to remain in the Wild Card mix after winning 7 of their last 11 games.

Obviously, this early in the year, a five-game winning streak will dramatically affect the outlook of basically any team, but this seems to be the likely scenario moving forward in the AL. One or two teams might take the opportunity to stand out and secure a solid place as a contender, while nearly the whole pack could manage to stay within striking distance of a Wild Card spot. That could very well affect the Trade Deadline, as teams on the fence are wary of missing out on a chance to sneak into this postseason. The 2024 Tigers and 2025 Diamondbacks at least represent recent models of teams that sold parts but competed for playoff spots in the second half anyway.

If you’re looking for a way to highlight just how much this Yankees team stands out from the rest of the AL right now—as the team’s records don’t do it justice—the Yankees have a run differential of +74, more than double the amount of all other teams with a positive run differential combined. The next single highest is the Rays at +15. That’s the sound of opportunity knocking; we’ll see if New York can take advantage as the summer approaches and begins.

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The Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays clash at Fenway, with both teams coming off series sweeps. Boston’s moves two weeks ago have paid off, while the Rays have been good all season long.

While Boston is improved and playing at home, that’s not enough to justify making the Sox the favorite. 

My Rays vs. Red Sox predictions and MLB picks call for a Tampa win as the road dog on Thursday, May 7.

Who will win Rays vs Red Sox today: Rays moneyline (+101)

The Tampa Bay Rays are coming off back-to-back sweeps of the Giants and Blue Jays.

The Rays have won 12 of 13 and have allowed three runs or less in all 13 games, a franchise record and the longest such stretch in MLB in four years.

The Boston Red Sox are 6-4 since changing managers, but it's come against a soft portion of the schedule.

Rookie Boston starter Jake Bennett threw first-pitch strikes to 12 of the 19 batters he faced in his debut, but the Rays’ experienced lineup excels when behind in the count. They have a 121 OPS+ after a first-pitch strike and 128 when down in the count.

COVERS INTEL: Tampa’s bullpen extended its scoreless streak to 17 1/3 innings and has allowed just one run over the last 32 2/3.

Rays vs Red Sox Over/Under pick: Under 8.5 (+100)

In addition to the hottest bullpen in baseball, Tampa has the third-best starting rotation. That’s masked a Rays offense that has scored five runs twice — and never topped that number — in the last 10 games.

Tampa starts converted reliever Griffin Jax, who hasn’t made it out of the third inning in his two starts this year but also hasn’t allowed a run in them.

Boston has hit better since the coaching staff turnover, but they’ve done so by posting a .340 BABIP, which may be an indication that it’s a random fluctuation more than a sustainable change in approach. 

Rays vs Red Sox odds

• Moneyline: Rays -105 | Red Sox -115
• Run line: Rays -1.5 (+155) | Red Sox +1.5 (-189)
• Over/Under: Over 8.5 (-118) | Under 8.5 (-102)

Rays vs Red Sox trend

The Boston Red Sox have hit the Game Total Under in 31 of their last 50 games at home (+13.20 Units / 24% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Rays vs. Red Sox.

How to watch Rays vs Red Sox and game info

Rays vs Red Sox latest injuries

Rays vs Red Sox weather

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

The St. Louis Cardinals, ranked second in the NL Central with a 21-15 record, face the San Diego Padres, who are second in the NL West with a 22-14 record. The San Diego Padres are favored with a -165 moneyline compared to the St. Louis Cardinals' +135. Starting pitchers are Matthew Liberatore for St. Louis, with a 4.50 ERA, and Michael King for San Diego, with a 2.95 ERA.

How to watch St. Louis Cardinals vs. San Diego Padres

• Date: Thursday, May 7

• Time: 10:10 p.m. ET / 7:10 p.m. PT

• Where: PETCO Park, San Diego, CA

• TV Channels: ESPN/ESPN App

• Live Stream:ESPN+, MLB.TV | Follow on Yahoo Sports

Team records

• St. Louis Cardinals: 21-15 (second in NL Central)

• San Diego Padres: 22-14 (second in NL West)

Odds

• Spread: San Diego Padres -1.5

• Moneyline: San Diego Padres -165 / St. Louis Cardinals +135

• Over/Under: 8.0

Starting pitchers

St. Louis Cardinals: Matthew Liberatore (1-1, ERA: 4.50, K: 23, WHIP: 1.50)

San Diego Padres: Michael King (3-2, ERA: 2.95, K: 39, WHIP: 1.13)

Weather: 65°F at first pitch

The Tampa Bay Rays, ranked second in the AL East with a 24-12 record, face the Boston Red Sox, who are tied for fourth in the AL East with a 16-21 record. The Boston Red Sox are favored with a -120 moneyline compared to the Tampa Bay Rays' +100. Starting pitchers are Griffin Jax for Tampa Bay, with a 5.14 ERA, and Jake Bennett for Boston, with a 1.80 ERA.

How to Watch Tampa Bay Rays vs Boston Red Sox

• Date: Thursday, May 7

• Time: 7:10 p.m. ET / 4:10 p.m. PT

• Where: Fenway Park, Boston, MA

• TV Channels: ESPN/ESPN App

• Live Stream:ESPN+, MLB.TV | Follow on Yahoo Sports

Team records

• Tampa Bay Rays: 24-12 (second in AL East)

• Boston Red Sox: 16-21 (tied for fourth in AL East)

Odds (via BetMGM)

• Spread: Tampa Bay Rays -1.5

• Moneyline: Boston Red Sox -115 / Tampa Bay Rays -105

• Over/Under: 8.5

Starting pitchers

Tampa Bay Rays: Griffin Jax (1-2, ERA: 5.14, K: 14, WHIP: 1.50)

Boston Red Sox: Jake Bennett (1-0, ERA: 1.80, K: 3, WHIP: 1.40)

Weather: 62°F at first pitch

Worcester: L, 7-9 (F/10) (BOX SCORE)

The biggest story out of this topsy-turvy game was that Justin Slaten, a couple days removed from his opener in Portland, made another rehab start and struck out two, including Oswaldo Cabrera, while allowing a hit and walking a batter in his inning of work. He also retired Anthony Volpe, who finds himself in Triple-A due to, well, not being good for almost a calender year now. Slaten’s fastball also touched 96, which is a very good sign. Good on him for getting out of the inning with no damage taken.

And thank goodness for that, because the WooSox pitching staff would incur plenty of trouble throughout the night from the Rail Riders (Yankees AAA). Scranton would score two runs each in the ninth and tenth innings. After leading the team through the eighth inning, Wyatt Olds would wear it a bit and wouldn’t record an out in the tenth inning, giving the inning to Tommy Kahnle to close out. The WooSox, despite three home runs in the first five innings courtesy of Nate Eaton, Nathan Hickey and Mickey Gasper, couldn’t manage any late fireworks.

Portland: PPD to today (Rain)

The Fisher Cats (Blue Jays AA) and Sea Dogs will play a double header beginning at 5:00 this afternoon. The Sea Dogs are promoting a Jhostynxon Garcia bobble head night, which seems curious, or at least decision that was made last season, as “The Password” struggled with the Pirates’ Triple-A club before landing on the injured list, but the promo is cool enough considering Password raked in his short time in Portland last season.

Greenville: L, 12-13 (BOX SCORE)

It’s not great when 12 runs isn’t enough to win a baseball game, much less when you get walked off like Greenville did on Wednesday. Kyson Witherspoon ran into some early issues but made it through four innings allowing just two hits but three runs. Greensboro (Pirates High-A) powered eight runs in the seventh inning to come climbing back from a deficit that saw Greenville hit SEVEN home runs on the night including two a piece from catcher Ronny Hernandez (not to be confused with ex-Red Sox catcher Ronaldo Hernandez) and Nathanael Yuten. Yoelin Cespedes, who’s been raking as of late, also got into the action. But the Drive couldn’t seal the game away and were handed their sixth consecutive loss.

Salem: : L, 4-6 (BOX SCORE)

And to round out the winless night on the farm, only four of the nine batters in Salem’s lineup reached base, although three of them did multiple times. But when you’re 1 for 10 with runners on, that causes an issue bringing that scarcity of runners in. On the contrary, Delmarva (Orioles A) had three such hits and that was the difference maker in this one.

Have a tremendous Thursday.