Tampa Bay Rays at Boston Red Sox 10/5/22 - MLB Picks & Predictions

The Boston Red Sox host the Tampa Bay Rays on Oct. 5 for the final game of the regular season. Tampa Bay is headed to the playoffs, but Boston has won the first two games of the series. The Rays have lost the last four games after clinching a playoff spot and will be the No. 6 seed.

The Red Sox won the first game of the series 4-3 before winning 6-0 on Tuesday. Nathan Eovaldi pitched five scoreless innings before the game was called because of rain. Boston led 1-0 entering the bottom of the fifth, but a Xander Bogaerts grand slam made it 5-0 and two errors on one play made it 6-0 before the game was stopped.

The Red Sox are now 77-84 and will finish with their worst record since the 78-84 of 2015 besides the 24-36 2020 season. The Rays are 86-75 and will finish with their lowest winning percentage since going 80-82 (.494) in 2017.   

Nick Pivetta is scheduled to make his 33rd start of the season for Boston. Tampa Bay had yet to name a starter Tuesday evening. Pivetta is 10-12 with a 4.56 earned run average over 175 2/3 innings. He has struck out 170, walked 70 and allowed 171 hits, including 26 home runs. This is the most innings he has pitched in a single season.

Pivetta is 0-3 against the Rays this season, allowing 13 earned runs in 15 2/3 innings. He has struck out 11, walked eight and given up 18 hits, including two homers. Tampa Bay’s Isaac Paredes hit both of those homers off Pivetta in is two at bats as part of a 12-4 blowout in Fenway on Aug. 28.             

Rafael Devers has been one of Boston’s top hitters this season with a .295 average and a team-high 27 home runs. Bogaerts leads the club with a .305 batting average.