Baseball’s hottest team and two of the National League’s top clubs will be in action Thursday as part of a doubleheader airing exclusively on ESPN.
- Rays at Red Sox, 7 p.m. ET
- Cardinals at Padres, 10 p.m. ET
Here’s a look at these two matchups.
Rays at Red Sox, 7 p.m. ET (WATCH HERE)
An American League East showdown leads off the twin bill as the Red Sox begin a four-game series against the Rays, winners of six straight and 12 of their past 13 games. Tampa Bay’s pitching has been virtually untouchable during the club's hot streak, recording a microscopic 1.23 ERA over those 13 games. The Rays also have one of this season’s most productive offensive trios in Yandy Díaz (.318 BA, .874 OPS), Junior Caminero (9 HR, .474 SLG) and Jonathan Aranda (7 HR, 29 RBIs).
The Red Sox are on a winning streak of their own, having just swept the Tigers in a three-game road series. Boston has gone 6-4 since it replaced Alex Cora with interim manager Chad Tracy and is starting to creep closer to .500 after a dreadful start to 2026. On the mound for the Red Sox will be left-hander Jake Bennett, who threw five innings of one-run ball against the Astros to pick up the win in his MLB debut on May 1.
Meanwhile, Rays right-hander Griffin Jax is slated to make his third start of the year after throwing five scoreless innings in his past two outings as an opener. He’ll be up against a Red Sox lineup -- led by newcomer Willson Contreras (8 HR, .856 OPS) -- that is still looking to find its form in 2026.
Cardinals at Padres, 10 p.m. ET (WATCH HERE)
Is tonight the night Fernando Tatis Jr. hits his first home run of the season? The Padres superstar is in the midst of the longest homerless stretch of his career, going without a dinger in 156 consecutive regular-season plate appearances dating back to last year. He’ll look to break out against Cardinals lefty Matthew Liberatore, who has allowed eight homers over 36 innings in 2026.
San Diego’s offense as a whole hasn’t been all that potent, but the club sits just a half-game behind the high-powered Dodgers in the NL West nonetheless, thanks in large part to flamethrowing closer Mason Miller. The righty has gone 11-for-11 in save chances while posting a 1.04 ERA with 34 strikeouts over 17 1/3 innings in 2026.
The Padres will have ace Michael King (2.95 ERA) on the hill Thursday to face a Cardinals offense led by young slugger Jordan Walker, one of this year’s biggest breakouts. The former top prospect has hit .303 with 10 homers, 27 RBIs and a .956 OPS, powering the Cardinals to a surprising 21-15 record.