The Tampa Bay Rays host the Boston Red Sox in Game 1 of the American League Division Series on Thursday evening. First pitch from Tampa Bay is at 8:07 p.m. ET. The Rays are listed as -153 favorites (risk $153 to win $100) on the money line in the latest Red Sox vs. Rays odds at Caesars Sportsbook, while the over-under for total runs scored is eight (see the latest lines for every game on our MLB odds page).

Before making any Red Sox vs. Rays picks, you NEED to see what SportsLine expert Larry Hartstein has to say.

Hartstein, SportsLine's senior analyst and an Early Edge podcast regular, is a blistering 86-59 in MLB picks this season, returning more than $1,300. He is also 41-20 in his last 61 MLB picks overall.

In addition, Hartstein has an amazing 31-19 record on his last 50 picks involving Boston, returning more than $900. Anyone who has followed him is WAY up.

Tampa Bay is a balanced, strong club, with strengths on offense and in run prevention. The Rays have ten players with double-digit home runs this season, led by Mike Zunino (33 home runs, .559 slugging) and Brandon Lowe (39 home runs). Tampa Bay finished No. 2 in the American League with 857 runs scored, and they were a top-three team with 222 home runs and 585 walks this season. Tampa Bay's bullpen is also elite, allowing an AL-leading 3.24 ERA, and they will be aggressive in limiting Boston's lineup.

Boston's offense was on full display in the Wild Card Game, beating up on Gerrit Cole on the way to a victory. The Red Sox led the AL in doubles (330) this season, with top-three marks in slugging (.449) and OPS (.777). Boston's lineup is balanced and deep, with star power in Rafael Devers and Xander Bogaerts.

Now, Hartstein has set his sights on Red Sox vs. Rays. We can tell you he is leaning over the total, and he's also locked in a critical X-factor that makes one side of the spread hit hard! You ABSOLUTELY need to see it before locking in any MLB picks of your own.

So who wins Red Sox vs. Rays? And which side of the money line hits HARD? ... Join SportsLine right now to find out which side of Red Sox vs. Rays you should be all over on Thursday, all from the expert that is crushing his MLB picks in 2021!