Nick Martinez has been a problem. The right-hander has allowed two earned runs or fewer in 5 straight starts and rides a 1.71 ERA into Fenway, which is roughly the last thing a banged-up Boston lineup wants to see at 12:35 in the afternoon. The Rays have been the best team in the American League for a month, and Martinez is a big reason why.
Boston counters with Payton Tolle, the lefty rookie who already has a viral start on his ledger after punching out 11 Yankees in his season debut. He followed it up by giving up just 1 hit over 7 innings against Detroit on May 4. Two starts, two gems — the Fenway crowd is buying in fast, even if the sample is tiny.
The injury sheets tell most of the story of this season for the Red Sox. Roman Anthony is on the IL with a wrist issue, Triston Casas is on the 60-day, and the rotation has been gutted — Crochet, Crawford, Houck, Sandoval, Oviedo all out. Tampa is hardly whole either, with Ryan Pepiot done for the year, but they have the depth to absorb it. Gavin Lux is reportedly tracking toward a return during this Boston series, which would be another body back in the lineup.
- Day-To-DayAustin Vernon RP — The Rays have shut Vernon down from throwing due to right elbow soreness, per MLB.com.
- Day-To-DayTy Johnson SP — Triple-A Durham placed Johnson on the 7-day injured list due to a lower-back strain, Sam Dykstra of MLB Pipeline reports.
- Day-To-DayLogan Driscoll C — The Rays released Driscoll (ankle) on Friday, Ryan Bass of FanDuel Sports Network Sun reports.
- Day-To-DayKeyshawn Askew RP — no
- Day-To-DayTre' Morgan 1B — Triple-A Durham placed Morgan on the 7-day injured list with a quad injury, Sam Dykstra of MLB Pipeline reports.
- Day-To-DayAlfredo Zarraga RP — no
- Day-To-DayJohn Rooney RP — The Rays signed Rooney (elbow) to a minor-league contract Nov. 15.
- Day-To-DayTJ Nichols P — Double-A Montgomery placed Nichols on its 7-day injured list April 7 due to an unspecified injury.
- Day-To-DayRanger Suarez SP — Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy said Friday that Suarez's (hamstring) next start will come next week "sometime in the Philly series," Tim Healey of The Boston Globe reports.
- Day-To-DayHobie Harris RP — Harris was optioned to Triple-A Rochester on Saturday, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.
- 10-Day-ILRoman Anthony LF — The Red Sox placed Anthony (wrist) on the 10-day injured list Thursday, retroactive to Tuesday, Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald reports.
- 15-Day-ILDanny Coulombe RP — The Red Sox placed Coulombe on the 15-day injured list Monday with cervical spasms.
- 15-Day-ILGarrett Crochet SP — Crochet (shoulder) was able to play catch Sunday for the first time since landing on the injured list Wednesday, Tim Healey of The Boston Globe reports.
- 15-Day-ILKutter Crawford SP — Crawford has been diagnosed with inflammation in his right elbow following an MRI, Tim Healey of The Boston Globe reports.
- 60-Day-ILTriston Casas 1B — The Red Sox transferred Casas (abdomen/knee) from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Wednesday.
- 60-Day-ILRomy Gonzalez 1B — The Red Sox placed Gonzalez (shoulder) on the 60-day injured list Thursday, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.
The market sees a coin flip leaning Boston's way at home. Pinnacle has the Sox at -125, which prices the home team as the slight favorite despite the 8-game gap in the standings. Note the line mismatch on the total — Pinnacle has it at 8.5, DraftKings at 7.5 — which tells you the books aren't fully aligned on what two starters this good should produce. The DK money is splitting cleanly down the middle.
Bottom line: this is a pitcher's duel on paper, with a Tampa club playing the best baseball in the league and a Boston team that desperately needs Tolle to keep being Tolle. Day games at Fenway have a way of getting weird. Worth setting the alarm for.