MLB Game Preview: Tampa Bay Rays (50-44) vs. Boston Red Sox (50-45)

The Tampa Bay Rays (50–44) continue their road trip with a pivotal matchup against the Boston Red Sox (50–45) on Friday, July 11 at 7:10 PM ET at Fenway Park. With both teams neck-and-neck in the AL East standings and battling for Wild Card positioning, this game marks the eighth meeting of the season, with Boston holding a 5–2 series edge.

Team Form & Standings

Team	Record	Last 10 Games	Home/Away Split
Boston Red Sox	50–45	8–2	29–20 (Home)
Tampa Bay Rays	50–44	3–7	22–19 (Away)

• Red Sox are riding a seven-game win streak, their longest of the season.
• Rays have dropped 8 of their last 11, despite outscoring Boston 37–28 across the season series.

Probable Starting Pitchers

Boston Red Sox – Hunter Dobbins (RHP)

• Record: 4–1
• ERA: 4.10
• WHIP: 1.38
• Last Start: 4 IP, 4 ER, 5 BB vs Yankees
• Note: Red Sox are 7–5 in games he’s started

Tampa Bay Rays – Drew Rasmussen (RHP)

• Record: 7–5
• ERA: 2.82
• WHIP: 1.11
• Last Start: 2 IP, 1 ER vs Tigers
• Note: Rays are 10–8 in his starts

Key Players to Watch

Boston Red Sox

• Jarren Duran: .262 AVG, 24 doubles, 10 triples, 8 HR – 10-game hit streak
• Ceddanne Rafaela: .264 AVG, 4 HR in last 10 games – clutch 2-RBI single in Thursday’s win
• Wilyer Abreu: 18 HR – leads team in homers
• Trevor Story: 57 RBI – team leader; 2 HR in last 5 games

Tampa Bay Rays

• Junior Caminero: 23 HR, .509 SLG – homered in Thursday’s loss
• Brandon Lowe: 19 HR – 4 HR, 8 RBI in last 10 games
• Jonathan Aranda: .327 AVG – team leader in batting average
• Yandy Díaz: .287 AVG, 14 HR – consistent top-of-lineup bat

• Red Sox are 8–2 ATS in their last 10 games
• Rays are 2–8 ATS in their last 10 games
• Over has hit in 9 of Boston’s last 10 games

Game Storylines

• Momentum Shift: Boston’s offense is surging, averaging 8.1 runs per game over their last 10
• Pitching Contrast: Rasmussen’s elite ERA vs Dobbins’ recent control issues
• Series Edge: Red Sox lead season series 5–2, including three straight home wins vs Rays
• Power Surge: Both teams rank top 10 in slugging; expect fireworks at Fenway

Game Details

• Matchup: Tampa Bay Rays vs Boston Red Sox
• Date: Friday, July 11, 2025
• Time: 7:10 PM ET
• Venue: Fenway Park, Boston, MA
• Broadcast: NESN / FDSNSUN / MLB Network / MLB.tv