Live on ESPN, the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays complete a brief two-game series on Wednesday night at 8:05 PM EST. The Red Sox will have to avoid looking ahead since they begin a four-game series against the Yankees tomorrow. The matchup on Wednesday is ESPN’s feature game and has Brad Penny facing David Price. Penny is 7-5 with a 5.07 ERA while Price is 4-4 with a 5.10 ERA. SBG Global Sportsbook reports that the early MLB sports wagering sees the public taking the Red Sox on the road as +132 underdogs with a total 9.5 over -120.

Penny was shelled for seven earned runs last week against Oakland in just five innings. He has not pitched well in his career against the Rays going 2-3 with a 5.06 ERA. Price was good in his last start against Kansas City and he has been very good at home this season going 4-1 with a 2.67 ERA.

One hitter that Price didn’t see last time he faced Boston was Victor Martinez. The Red Sox picked up him in a trade with Cleveland and he is already making a huge difference for Boston. "One hitter can make a lot of difference. He’s a switch-hitter. I know we’ve had our struggles offensively.” Manager Terry Francona said, “We like our hitters. But this will certainly help our lineup."

The Red Sox are simply a much better team with Victor Martinez in the starting lineup. "We still have to go out there and win ballgames, but on paper, I think it makes us a much better team," Boston’s Jason Bay said.

Take a look at the baseball wagering lines stats for tonight’s game. The Red Sox are 5-2 in their last 7 games as an underdog. The Red Sox are 21-10 in their last 31 games vs. a left-handed starter. The Red Sox are 2-6 in Penny’s last 8 road starts. The Rays are 5-1 in Price’s last 6 home starts. The Red Sox are 1-4 in the last 5 meetings in Tampa Bay. The Under is 6-2 in the Red Sox last 8 games vs. a left-handed starter. The Under is 8-3 in Penny’s last 11 starts overall. The Under is 26-8-2 in Ray’s last 36 games vs. a right-handed starter.