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The Boston Red Sox will host the Philadelphia Phillies for the first of a three-game set at Fenway Park on Friday night. It’s time to continue our MLB odds series and make a Phillies-Red Sox prediction and pick.
These teams last met in May, with the Red Sox taking two out of three games during that series. Boston is currently 54-34 and red-hot over the past few weeks. Philadelphia, on the other hand, has gone through some struggles this season and will look to continue a recent run in an attempt to claw back into the NL East race.
Here’s how sportsbooks have set the Phillies-Red Sox odds.
MLB Odds: Phillies-Red Sox Odds
Philadelphia Phillies +1.5 (-175)
Boston Red Sox -1.5 (+155)
Over 11 Runs (-113)
Under 11 Runs (-107)
Why The Phillies Could Cover The Spread
Despite their sub-.500 record, the Phillies are just four games back of the New York Mets for first place in the NL East. Philadelphia has won five of its last seven games to improve to 42-43 and will be looking to build on an impressive 8-0 victory against the Chicago Cubs on Thursday. The Phillies will need to be better on the road, though, as they're 18-27 away from Philadelphia this season.
Philadelphia's offense has been red-hot of late with a very impressive series to open the week. They put up 39 runs in four games in their series victory over the Cubs. The Phillies are now averaging 4.48 runs per game, which is good for 13th in the majors. Brad Miller is coming off a three-homer performance on Thursday, which should ignite this offense against one of the best lineups in baseball.
The Phillies will turn to right-hander Vince Velasquez for the series opener. Velasquez has had an up-and-down season with a 3-3 record and 4.50 ERA through 17 starts. He has really struggled of late with a 6.21 ERA over his last 33 1/3 innings of work, though. His last start saw him allow five earned runs over six innings of work against the San Diego Padres.
Why The Red Sox Could Cover The Spread
The Red Sox have undoubtedly been one of the best teams in all of baseball this season. They have won 10 of their last 13 games to improve their record to 54-34 on the season. The Red Sox are currently on an eight-game home winning streak as well. They are currently 27-17 at Fenway Park and have a 2.5-game lead over the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East coming in.
Boston will be well-represented at the All-Star Game, as the three leaders of the lineup will all be in attendance. Rafael Devers and Xander Bogaerts are the first pair of teammates to start on the left side of the infield in the All-Star Game since Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez. The Red Sox stars are putting up terrific numbers this season, which is why they average the third-most runs per game as a club.
The Red Sox will hand the ball to right-hander Garrett Richards for the series opener. Richards has been wildly inconsistent this season with a 4-5 record and 4.88 ERA through 17 starts. His strikeout numbers are very low and his 1.68 WHIP isn't glamorous by any means. Richards will hope to build off his last start that saw him toss five innings of two-run ball against the Oakland Athletics.
Final Phillies-Red Sox Prediction & Pick
Philadelphia seems to be turning a corner and will hopefully make some noise in the NL East down the stretch. Although I respect their effort lately, they are not to be compared with Boston. The Red Sox are in a class of their own right now and have been especially dominant of late. Garrett Richards has been far from effective, but he receives great run support, which is why his team has won seven of the last 11 games that he has started. The Phillies have lost three of Velasquez's last four starts, and it's hard to believe that trend will end in such a tough spot at Fenway Park.
FINAL PICK: Boston Red Sox ML (-116)
