Red Sox vs Rays Preview: Big Pitching Showdown in Rays’ Night

The Red Sox are in big trouble. Star pitcher Garrett Crochet is out with a shoulder strain. That's huge because Crochet was supposed to be their ace. Now Jake Bennett gets the start on Wednesday. Boston's offense has been struggling too—they've lost three straight games. You can see their frustration building. They're sitting at 27-38 on the season. That's not where anyone wants to be in June. This road trip to Tampa Bay is critical. The Red Sox need to find their rhythm fast before they fall too far behind.

Tampa Bay is rolling. The Rays sit at 39-25 and just won back-to-back games. Drew Rasmussen takes the mound for the home team, and he's a beast right now. Rasmussen made his first All-Star team in 2025. He's got an incredible 0.75 ERA this season with eleven strikeouts. The Rays have dominated at home too—they're 23-9 at Tropicana Field. Yesterday they beat Boston 4-3 in a close one. The Rays scored four runs in the fourth inning alone. Tampa Bay's pitching depth has always been their secret weapon, and Rasmussen proves why.

Boston's bats went quiet in yesterday's loss. They scored three runs but couldn't keep up with Tampa's attack. The Rays' pitching shut them down hard. Boston has to find a way to score more runs today. Players like Marcelo Mayer showed some life—he drove in two runs yesterday. But that's not enough against a pitching staff like Tampa's. Rasmussen is nearly unhittable right now. The Red Sox need their hitters to be ready early. One big inning could make all the difference in this game.