Red Sox Advance to the ALDS to Take on the Rays

Red Sox advance to the ALDS to take on the Tampa Bay Rays after beating the New York Yankees on Tuesday night. To read more about the Wild Card Game; be sure to check out my Red Sox Game #162 – MLB Playoffs 2021 post.

Red Sox Advance to the ALDS

At the same time last night; I had 2 TVs on as I was watching the Wild Card Game and watching the Bachelor in Paradise Season Finale. Since I already wrote a post about which couples ended up engaged; I decided not to write another post (that would have been too repetitive). So, if you missed the season finale; be sure to visit my Bachelor in Paradise 2021 Spoilers – Who is Engaged post.

Though the Red Sox were an underdog after they were swept by the New York Yankees in their last meeting in late September; they beat the Yankees by a score of 6 – 2.

Red Sox v Tampa Bay Rays ALDS Schedule

During the regular season, the Tampa Bay Rays took the season series with an 11 – 8 advantage. Now that the regular season has ended; the slate is wiped clean.

So, the ALDS schedule is as follows.

Thursday, October 7th – Game 1 at 8:07 p.m.

Friday, October 8th – Game 2 at 7:02 p.m.

Sunday, October 10th – Game 3 at 4:07 p.m.

Game 4 (if necessary) will be on Monday, October 11th – TBA

Game 5 (if necessary) will be on Wednesday, October 13th – TBA

In July, the Red Sox had a 4 1/2 game lead over the Rays. However, that quickly changed and they fell out of first place. The Rays became the leader in the American League East and never looked back.

But, now it’s a clean slate.

When the series opens today at Tropicana Field; the Red Sox have a chance to beat them. Indeed, it’s redemption time and hopefully, the Sox will rise to the occasion.

The Teams Know Each Other

Of course, the teams know each other well. They face each other 19 times during the regular season so hopefully; they can gain some momentum after beating the Yankees on Tuesday night.

In fact, the Rays have had one of the highest-scoring lineups in their franchise history. Also, the Ray’s pitching is dominant. In addition to their starting pitchers; they have a few good relievers who have been available all season long to pitch during tight games.

Due to J.D. Martinez injuring his left ankle in Game #162; he sat out for the Wild Card Game. Will he recover? Or, will he be out for this series?

Moreover, the Red Sox have had mixed results with their starters against the Rays. Will their starters be able to keep the Rays from piling up runs? Lately, Alex Cora has been using his starters as bullpen relievers. Therefore, there is a strong possibility he will continue mixing things up in the ALDS.

Finally, both teams have players who are hot right now.

Red Sox v Tampa Bay ALDS Prediction

In summary, both of these teams have a lot of familiarity with each other. Though they haven’t played over the last several weeks; Tampa Bay Rays beat the Sox in the last 4 out of 7 games.

The Rays had the edge during the regular season; and the Rays were in the World Series last year, so…

Though I’m a huge Red Sox fan; I think the team has had too many ups and downs since right before the All-Star game. Therefore, I’m picking the Rays to advance to the next round. Sorry, Red Sox nation!

As always, I welcome your comments on the Red Sox advance to the ALDS. Do you think they will prevail? Or, do you think the Rays will win the series?