Boston Red Sox (6-6, fourth in the AL East) vs. Tampa Bay Rays (7-5, fourth in the AL East)
St. Petersburg, Florida; Friday, 7:10 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Red Sox: Michael Wacha (0-0, .96 ERA, .86 WHIP, nine strikeouts); Rays: Corey Kluber (0-0, 1.86 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, nine strikeouts)
LINE: Rays -138, Red Sox +117; over/under is 8 1/2 runs
BOTTOM LINE: The Tampa Bay Rays begin a three-game series at home against the Boston Red Sox on Friday.
Tampa Bay is 7-5 overall and 4-2 at home. The Rays are 7-1 in games when they record eight or more hits.
Boston has a 6-6 record overall and a 3-3 record in home games. The Red Sox have a 3-1 record in games when they scored at least five runs.
The matchup Friday is the first meeting this season between the two teams.
TOP PERFORMERS: Wander Franco has six doubles, a triple and a home run for the Rays. Manuel Margot is 9-for-33 with a double over the last 10 games.
Kike Hernandez has six doubles, a home run and four RBI for the Red Sox. Alex Verdugo is 7-for-33 with a double and two home runs over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Rays: 5-5, .254 batting average, 3.32 ERA, outscored opponents by 13 runs
Red Sox: 6-4, .235 batting average, 3.54 ERA, outscored opponents by five runs
INJURIES: Rays: Shane Baz: 60-Day IL (elbow), Luis Patino: 60-Day IL (oblique), JT Chargois: 10-Day IL (oblique), Ryan Yarbrough: 10-Day IL (groin), Brendan McKay: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Pete Fairbanks: 60-Day IL (lat), Tyler Glasnow: 60-Day IL (elbow), Nick Anderson: 60-Day IL (elbow), Yonny Chirinos: 60-Day IL (elbow)
Red Sox: J.D. Martinez: day-to-day (adductor), Jonathan Arauz: 10-Day IL (covid-19), Kevin Plawecki: 10-Day IL (covid-19), Chris Sale: 60-Day IL (rib), Josh Taylor: 10-Day IL (back), James Paxton: 60-Day IL (elbow)
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