Rays vs. Red Sox: Seymour faces Sandoval in today’s pitching matchup

I mentioned how humbling baseball can be in yesterday’s article. I was certainly humbled last night. Humbled might not even be the right word – instead, it probably should be incredibly frustrated. I had under 10.5 in the Royals and Padres game, and through nine innings, there were exactly six runs scored. Unfortunately, three were on each side, so it went to a 10th inning. In the top of the 10th, three runs crossed the plate. That pushed the total to 9, but I was still alive. In the bottom of the inning, the Royals scored four runs. A seven-run 10th inning, and the game goes over. About as brutal as it gets. Luckily, I won on the Reds, but that… was something. Let’s try to dodge that luck as the Rays take on the Red Sox.

Tampa Bay is one of the best teams in baseball, which isn’t all that shocking when you consider their franchise as a whole. They are 56-40 for the season with sole possession of first place in the division. The Rays have been hot all year, but I’d challenge almost any casual fan to name more than three players on the team. Junior Caminero is probably the most well-known, partially because he is an All-Star, and partially because he was almost injured in the All-Star Game.

Tampa Bay Rays’ Junior Caminero celebrates his solo home run off Cincinnati Reds pitcher Brandon Williamson during the third inning of a baseball game in St. Petersburg, Fla., on April 22, 2026. (Chris O’Meara/AP)

You might be familiar with some of the starting pitchers for the staff, but I wouldn’t be surprised if you weren’t. The Rays are a bit unconventional at times with their rotation and arms. Today, they are sending out Ian Seymour to start the game, or maybe we should consider calling it opening the game? Seymour has 33 appearances and just six starts. It is normal for a guy to get stretched out and move from the bullpen to the rotation, but some are better left in the bullpen, and it seems like that might be the case for him. As a starter, he has allowed teams to hit .242 against him compared to just .197 as a reliever. The encouraging sign for the Rays is that in 18 at-bats against him, the Red Sox have not recorded a hit and struck out seven times.

RED SOX HAD A NIGHTMARE TRAVEL DAY FOR THE AGES, YET STILL FOUND A WAY TO BEAT THE METS IN NEW YORK

The Boston Red Sox looked like they were dead in the water just about a month ago. They were in last place in the division and looked like they were probably going to be sellers at the trade deadline. Perhaps it was just a very bad start. Maybe this team is better than we expected. Or, it is possible this was just a hot stretch, and they will end up falling back down the standings. A lot is still to be determined, but the club is finally clicking, and I know they are looking to ride that success as long as possible.

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – JULY 7: Ceddanne Rafaela #3 of the Boston Red Sox celebrates hitting a two-run home run during the second inning against the Chicago White Sox at Rate Field on July 7, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Geoff Stellfox/Getty Images) (Getty Images)

The Red Sox will send Patrick Sandoval to the hill today. This is just his second start of the season for the Red Sox, and he has no record with a 2.08 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP. He has just 4.1 innings under his belt, so I’d be very surprised if I see him go deep into this game. It is possible, since yesterday was a doubleheader, that they need Sandoval to eat innings even if he pitches poorly. Rays hitters have faced him 28 times, but 17 of those have come from Yandy Diaz, who is just 3-for-17 against him. The other three players that have seen Sandoval before are a combined 2-for-11.

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I think this might be a game where you see some runs from both teams. Neither starter is going to strike fear into their opponent, exactly. However, I will at least give them credit for showing success against their opponent in the limited exposure. I do lean to the over at 9.5 for this game, but I think there is a better play.

Tampa Bay Rays’ Yandy Diaz, center, is congratulated on his two-run home run against the Atlanta Braves during the fourth inning of a baseball game, Sunday, July 9, 2023, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Mike Carlson)

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The Red Sox have won 11 straight games, but I don’t see them getting to 12. Boston should be very happy they’ve gotten all the way back to .500, but Tampa Bay is a very good team, and I actually think Seymour is more reliable than Sandoval in just his second start. Combine that with the Red Sox winning both games yesterday, and I think the Rays take this one. Give me Tampa Bay on the moneyline.

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