These teams have been going in opposite directions. Tampa Bay is 11-5 in its last 16 games. Boston is 5-11 in its last 16 games. The Rays are now ahead of the Red Sox in the AL East standings because of this current form.

Some teams hate playing at Tropicana Field because of its turf and unconventional design. The Red Sox are one of those teams. Boston is 2-15 the past two seasons playing the Rays at Tropicana Field.

Part of the Red Sox problem is injuries to three key hitters: Trevor Story, Masataka Yoshida and Triston Casas are all out.

The pitching matchup is Tanner Houck against Taj Bradley.

Bradley is a young pitcher with a high ceiling. Since returning from injury, he's made two starts. He has a 2.45 ERA. Houck has an impressive 2.17 ERA. However, he's 3-5 and threw a career-high 112 pitches in 5 2/3 innings during a 4-3 home loss to the Rays this past Wednesday.