Jake Bennett (1-1, 4.35) gets the start for the Sox opposite Drew Rasmussen (5-2, 3.00), and the gap between those two lines undersells how lopsided this pitching matchup feels right now. Boston pulled Bennett up to slot in for the demoted Brayan Bello, and he walks straight into a buzzsaw.
Rasmussen is in the middle of the best stretch of his career — a 23-inning scoreless streak that ran through June 3, including a 7-inning, 1-hit, 9-strikeout gem against Miami his last time out. He's also a tough draw historically for this Boston lineup, which already had to grind out 1 and 3 runs in the first two games of the set.
The Red Sox showed up to the Trop short-handed and it shows. Marcelo Mayer is out of the lineup with back and neck stiffness, Roman Anthony is still shut down from swinging, and the rotation behind Bennett is held together with rehab updates from Sandoval, Crochet, Houck, and Crawford. Tampa isn't fully whole either — Jake Fraley, Jonny DeLuca, and Gavin Lux are all on the shelf — but the Rays are 39-25 for a reason.
- Day-To-DayMarcelo Mayer 2B — Mayer is absent from Wednesday's lineup versus the Rays due to back and neck stiffness, Ian Browne of MLB.com 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 — Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy said Monday that Anthony (finger) remains shut down from swinging a bat, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILNick Sogard 3B — Sogard is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Guardians, Tim Healey of The Boston Globe reports.
- 15-Day-ILJovani Moran RP — The Red Sox placed Moran on the 15-day injured list Saturday, retroactive to Friday, with left elbow inflammation, Tim Healey of The Boston Globe reports.
- 60-Day-ILPatrick Sandoval SP — Sandoval (biceps) will make his next rehab start for Triple-A Worcester on Thursday, MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILGarrett Crochet SP — Crochet (shoulder) was diagnosed with a low-grade lat strain Tuesday, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILTrevor Story SS — Story underwent surgery to repair a sports hernia Thursday and will be sidelined 6-10 weeks, Tim Healey of The Boston Globe reports.
- Day-To-DayAustin Vernon RP — The Rays have shut Vernon down from throwing due to right elbow soreness, per MLB.com.
- Day-To-DayAlfredo Zarraga RP — no
- 10-Day-ILJonny DeLuca RF — DeLuca (hamstring) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Durham on Friday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
- 10-Day-ILJake Fraley RF — Rays manager Kevin Cash said Monday that Fraley (hernia) will require surgery and will face a recovery timeline of 6-to-8 weeks, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
- 15-Day-ILCraig Kimbrel RP — Kimbrel (wrist) will throw a live batting practice session Tuesday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
- 15-Day-ILJesse Scholtens RP — Scholtens was charged with a blown save and dropped to 5-3 on the season in Monday's 9-7 loss to the Orioles in 13 innings after yielding five runs (three earned) on four hits across 1.1 frames. He struck out one batter.
- 60-Day-ILGavin Lux LF — Lux (shoulder) is scheduled to take live batting practice against teammate Craig Kimbrel (wrist) on Tuesday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
- 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.
It's still 0-0 in the top of the 2nd, so the game's wide open, but the early board tells the story: Bennett needs to keep this thing in a 1-run game into the 5th to give Boston a real shot. If Rasmussen settles in the way he has been, this turns into a 3rd straight low-scoring loss in a hurry.
Line movement says the market caught up late — Rays +1.5 went from -171 all the way down to +136 as steam piled in on Tampa, and tracked sharp bettors are stacked on the home side (21 bets, $6.2K, top outcome Rays). For a Sox team that's gone 0-1-1 in their last 3 against the Yankees before this Rays series, the timing couldn't be worse.