Subscribe
Follow Us
The Miami Marlins and Boston Red Sox start their interleague series today. It's time to continue our MLB odds series with a Marlins-Red Sox prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.
The Marlins enter the series after taking three of four games from the Pirates over the weekend. The Marlins have now won seven of their last ten games and moved to 45-34 on the season. They sit in second place in the NL East, behind the Atlanta Braves. The Marlins are firmly in a wildcard spot though as they hope to make the playoffs for the fourth time in franchise history. They will have a boost to their lineup coming as well, as both Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Jean Segura will be returning to the line-up.
Meanwhile, the Red Sox lost two of three to the White Sox over the weekend. It was an offensive struggle in those games, as they scored just eight runs in three games. The Red Sox have won six of their last ten but lost four of their last five overall. They find themselves in the basement of the AL East currently. At 40-39 on the season, they are 2.5 games back of the Astros for the final wild-card spot.
Here are the Marlins-Red Sox MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Marlins-Red Sox Odds
Miami Marlins: +1.5 (-176)
Boston Red Sox: -1.5 (+146)
Over: 9.5 (-106)
Under: 9.5 (-114)
How To Watch Marlins vs. Red Sox
TV: BSFL/NESN
Stream: MLB.TV
Time: 7:10 PM ET/ 4:10 PM PT
*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Marlins Could Cover The Spread
Article Continues Below
The Marlins do not score a ton of runs. They are 24th in the majors in runs scored, but do sit seventh in the majors in batting average, 16th in OBP, and 21st in slugging. Luis Arraez is the team leader for them on offense. He has another long hit streak going, sitting at nine games. In that time he has two games in which he has gone five for five in a game. Arraez is hitting .438 this month with 17 RBIs, two home runs, and four doubles. He has also scored 15 times this month.
Jorge Soler is the other main part of this offense. He is fifth in the majors with 21 home runs and has also driven in 45 this year. He is on a little bit of a cold streak though. Soler has just two hits in his last 21 at-bats while hitting .246 on the month. He has not had a home run or an RBI since June 19th. Bryan De La Cruz is seeing his hitting improve as of late. He is on a seven-game hit streak and has been hitting .379 over his last seven games while driving in three runs. De La Cruz has been driving in a lot of runs as of late. He has 18 RBIs on the month with the help of a home run and seven doubles.
On the hill, today for the Marlins will be Sandy Alcantara. He has not been himself this year, sitting with a 2-6 record and a 5.08 ERA. This month has been rough for him. He has given up five runs in three of four starts while sitting with a 5.47 ERA for the month. Alcantara is also not striking out as many batters as he used to. He has just 18 strikeouts in 26.1 innings this month. Alcantara has not had a win since May 24th when he went six innings and gave up two runs to the Rockies.
Why The Red Sox Could Cover The Spread
The Red Sox have a top-ten offense in baseball this year. They are seventh in the majors in runs scored, while being top ten in batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage on the year. In the last five games, the bats have struggled though. The Red Sox have scored 12 runs in five games, good for just 2.4 runs per game. That is half of their average of 4.99 on the season.
While the Red Sox are struggling at the plate, Justin Turner is having a nice month. He has hits in 13 of his last 15 games. Turner is hitting .315 on the month with 20 RBIs and five home runs. In the series with the White Sox, he did struggle a little. He drove in just one run while collecting just two hits in 12 at-bats.
Masataka Yoshida joined Turner in the struggles in the last series. On the year, Yoshida is ninth in the majors with a .299 batting average. He went just two for 11 in the series, scoring a run. This month he is hitting .259 while driving in eight and scoring ten times.
On the hill, today for the Red Sox will be Garrett Whitlock. Whitlock has been solid so far in June. In four starts this month he has pitched 25 innings giving up 12 runs, 11 earned. His 3.96 ERA has led to him going 2-0 on the month. He has been fairly consistent on strikeouts as well. Whitlock has averaged six a game on the month while limiting the free passes he has given out. He has struggled to give up some hits this month, but if he can keep that under control today, he should have a good chance to get the win.
Final Marlins-Red Sox Prediction & Pick
This game is going to come down to Sandy Alcantara. In the last seven games, the Marlins have given up more than three runs just twice. One of those games was a Sandy Alcantara start, and the other one, the Marlins won 6-4. If Alcantara is on today, the Marlins should keep the struggling Red Sox bats at bay. If not, the Red Sox offense can bust out of their slump. Furthermore, the Red Sox bullpen has been solid as of late and is one of the better ones in the league. If the Red Sox take an early lead, it may be hard to pull a comeback like the Marlins did so well in the series over the Pirates. With the Marlins trying to break in some bats that have missed some time, expect a slow day for them at the plate, as the Red Sox win.
Final Marlins-Red Sox Prediction & Pick: Red Sox -1.5 (+146)
