Red Sox vs. Rays Monday probable pitchers, odds: Tampa Bay can set Wild Card era record with 10th straight victory to open season

The oddsmakers really know what they are doing sometimes. There was a prop entering the 2023 MLB season on which team would be the last to lose and the Tampa Bay Rays were the betting favorites even though they weren't considered among the World Series favorites. The Rays simply had a very easy schedule right out of the gate, and they enter Monday's home game vs. Boston as MLB's only unbeaten at 9-0. They're poised to potentially set a modern-era record as -165 favorites at Caesars Sportsbook.

The longest overall winning streak to start a season is 13 in a row, set by the 1982 Atlanta Braves and 1987 Milwaukee Brewers. Neither team won the World Series -- and the Brewers didn't even make the playoffs. Tampa Bay has tied the longest season-opening winning streak in the Wild Card era (1995-present), initially set by the 2003 Kansas City Royals. The Royals' run ended in a 6-1 loss at Cleveland on April 13 and Kansas City finished the season 83-79.

Tampa Bay has won all nine of its games by at least four runs -- against Detroit, Washington and Oakland -- and it has outscored its opponents by 57 runs (75-18) for an average margin of victory of 6.3 runs per game. That ranks as the third-best run differential through a team's first nine games all-time and the best mark since 1900. The streak of nine straight wins by at least four runs is the longest at any point in a season since the 1939 Yankees reeled off 10 in a row. The Rays have more homers (24) than runs allowed. They are up to +650 third favorites to win the World Series.

"When you're rolling as a team, you just keep it going. You don't question anything," said second baseman Brandon Lowe, who has four walks, three hits, six runs and eight RBI in his last nine plate appearances. "You just show up and take care of business. It really just feels like we're playing our game. This is exactly what we figured was going to happen when we got everybody back healthy."

The Rays will likely use an opener in Jalen Beeks today. He has allowed a run over three innings in two appearances. Lefty Josh Fleming should follow him. He was rocked for five runs and 10 hits in his season debut at Washington.

It's Nick Pivetta (0-1, 1.80 ERA) on the hill for Boston. He allowed three runs over five innings in his season debut vs. Pittsburgh. The Sox's top hitter in the early going, Adam Duvall, is not likely to play after hurting his wrist Sunday. He's hitting .455 with four homers and 14 RBI. Should Duvall miss significant time, Boston figures to rely on a combination of Raimel Tapia and Jarren Duran in center field.

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