The Boston Red Sox will open the 2018 campaign on the road when they travel to Tropicana Field to face the Tampa Bay Rays. Boston is expected to send their ace southpaw, Chris Sale, to the hill. Sale, who led the Majors last year with 308 strikeouts, was also dominant against the Rays, going 4-1 with an ERA of 2.66. Tampa is expected to counter with Chris Archer. Archer went 1-1 against Boston in 2017, with an ERA of 5.87, and Tampa is just 3-11 in his last 14 starts against the Red Sox, which is not good. Tampa Bay has lost some key players this season: Evan Longoria, Logan Morrison, Corey Dickerson and Steven Souza, Jr. Both pitchers exited their last spring training outings early, with Sale taking one off the hip and Archer off his throwing forearm, but both say they are fine and ready to go. Boston has won 4 of its last 5 trips to Tampa and 5 of Sale’s last 6 starts against the Rays. The Red Sox are by far the better team. Consider them in this one.
TODAY’S PICK: BOSTON RED SOX