Tampa Bay Rays at Boston Red Sox Game 1

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
TB	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	1
BOS	0	2	0	1	0	6	1	0	—	10	15	0

Before any of that, this was billed as a pitching-forward matinee. Griffin Jax (5-7, 4.08 ERA) took the ball for Tampa Bay against Jake Bennett (5-3, 2.35), with first pitch at 1:35 PM ET. Jax had actually been rounding into form lately, and Bennett was fresh off a strong outing of his own against the White Sox, so on paper this looked like it could stay tight into the middle innings.

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FINAL

Spread

ML

Total

Rays(56-39)

LLWWL

0

+1.5o8.5

Red Sox(47-48)

WWWWW

10

-1.5u8.5

Best BetRays -103

Postgame

The bear case won out completely — Boston's streak carried the day and the Rays were shut out 0-10.

Pregame

We backed the Rays on the moneyline when they were priced as the plus-money side despite owning the better overall record — a value spot built on Tampa Bay's talent level over a hot Boston stretch. That value evaporated fast; Jax got rocked and the Rays never threatened. Live for another day, but this one was a clean miss.

It didn't. Bennett was efficient and clean, and Boston's lineup made sure Jax never found his footing. That's been the story of this Red Sox surge — a rotation that's been gutted by injury (Tanner Houck, Johan Oviedo, Garrett Crochet and Kutter Crawford are all on the 60-day IL) finding just enough length from whoever's up, while the lineup does the heavy lifting. Tampa Bay, meanwhile, is dealing with its own absences in the outfield with Gavin Lux and Jake Fraley both pulled off rehab assignments this month.

Griffin Jax

(6-8)·3.74 ERA

Jul 11 vs Mariners

W

5.0IP

1ER

3K

3BB

69P

Jake Bennett

(6-4)·2.74 ERA

Jul 8 @ White Sox

W

7.0IP

0ER

4K

1BB

81P

None of that shows up in the standings yet for the Rays, who still own the better overall record. But form matters in the moment, and right now Boston has all of it. A team that was scuffling around .500 for most of the summer has ripped off 10 straight and gone 15-2 since late June, with interim manager Chad Tracy getting credit for keeping the room even-keeled through the chaos.

The line score tells the whole story here: zero for Tampa Bay across nine innings, a six-run explosion for Boston in the sixth that turned a manageable game into a laugher. Jax never got the platform seven-hitters like this one to look sharp — 15 hits allowed by the Rays' pitching staff overall, three hits total scraped together on offense. This wasn't a one-swing loss; it was a full lineup letting a rough day snowball.

Tampa Bay Rays

(56-39)

Jul 17L@ Red Sox0-10

Jul 12Lvs Mariners2-8

Jul 11Wvs Mariners6-1

Jul 10Wvs Mariners7-2

Jul 9Lvs Yankees4-12

Boston Red Sox

(47-48)

Jul 17Wvs Rays10-0

Jul 12W@ Mets3-2

Jul 11W@ Mets4-0

Jul 10W@ Mets6-2

Jul 9W@ White Sox2-1

The bigger question is whether Tampa Bay can shake this off before the nightcap or whether Boston's streak has genuine staying power beyond one hot week. The Rays have the talent and the record to suggest this was a bad afternoon, not a trend. But with the injury list piling up and a Red Sox club playing with total freedom right now, the Rays need an answer fast.

Tampa Bay Rays

(9)

• 10-Day-ILJake Fraley (RF) — Fraley (groin) was pulled off his rehab assignment Sunday at Triple-A Durham after feeling something in the area of his hernia surgery, Ryan Bass of Rays.tv reports.07/12
• 15-Day-ILJesse Scholtens (RP) — Scholtens (wrist) is scheduled to pitch three innings in a rehab appearance Tuesday in the rookie-level Florida Complex League, MLB.com reports.07/07
• 15-Day-ILSteven Matz (SP) — Matz (ankle) will embark on a rehab assignment Thursday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.07/06
• 60-Day-ILGavin Lux (LF) — Lux (shoulder) was pulled off his rehab assignment earlier this week, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.07/17
• 60-Day-ILSteven Wilson (RP) — Wilson (back) has been sent to the rookie-level Florida Complex League to begin a rehab assignment.07/10
• 60-Day-ILEdwin Uceta (RP) — Rays manager Kevin Cash said Monday that Uceta has yet to resume throwing and will meet with a doctor to have his nagging right shoulder injury examined, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.07/06
• 60-Day-ILManuel Rodriguez (RP) — Manager Kevin Cash said Friday that Rodriguez (elbow) will begin throwing live batting practice June 30, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.06/19
• 60-Day-ILJonathan Heasley (RP) — Heasley was returned to the major-league roster and placed on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with a right elbow stress reaction.06/08
• 60-Day-ILRyan Pepiot (SP) — Pepiot will undergo surgery on his right hip May 13 and miss the rest of the 2026 season, Ryan Bass of Rays.tv reports.05/08

Boston Red Sox

(11)

• 10-Day-ILMarcelo Mayer (2B) — Interim manager Chad Tracy said Friday that Mayer (forearm) remains shut down from swinging a bat and will undergo new imaging next week, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.07/17
• 10-Day-ILIsiah Kiner-Falefa (2B) — Interim Red Sox manager Chad Tracy said Friday that Kiner-Falefa (forearm) remains shut down from swinging a bat and will undergo new imaging next week, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.07/17
• 15-Day-ILConnelly Early (SP) — Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy said Thursday that Early (elbow) started a throwing program earlier this week, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.07/17
• 15-Day-ILRanger Suarez (SP) — Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy said Friday that Suarez (groin) could be activated from the 15-day injured list when first eligible Tuesday to start against the Orioles that night, Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald reports.07/17
• 60-Day-ILTanner Houck (SP) — Houck (elbow) has started throwing two bullpen sessions per week in Fort Myers (Fla.), MLB.com reports.07/17
• 60-Day-ILJohan Oviedo (SP) — Oviedo (elbow) will throw a bullpen session next week, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.07/17
• 60-Day-ILGarrett Crochet (SP) — Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy said Thursday that Crochet (shoulder/lat) has yet to resume a formal throwing program and is limited to playing catch with weighted plyometric balls, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.07/13
• 60-Day-ILRoman Anthony (LF) — Interim manager Chad Tracy confirmed Thursday that Anthony's (finger) recent follow-up appointment with Dr. Gary Lourie revealed no new information about his injury, and the outfielder will continue to rehab at the Red Sox's complex in Florida through at least the All-Star break, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.07/13
• 60-Day-ILTrevor Story (SS) — The Red Sox announced June 28 that Story (sports hernia) is taking part in full baseball activities, MLB.com reports.07/06
• 60-Day-ILKutter Crawford (SP) — The Red Sox announced June 29 that Crawford (forearm) has been throwing plyometric balls during workouts at the team's spring training facility in Florida, MLB.com reports.07/06
• 60-Day-ILTriston Casas (1B) — Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy said Saturday that Casas (abdomen/knee) has been shut down from hitting due to a wrist issue, Tim Healey of The Boston Globe reports.07/06