Subscribe
Follow Us
It is the rubber match of a three-game series today between the Boston Red Sox and the Oakland Athletics. It is time to continue our MLB odds series with a Red Sox-Athletics prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.
Pitching has been the story of this series. In game one it was about Nick Pivetta. He came in and pitched six innings of relief without giving up a hit and striking out 13 batters. Overall, Red Sox pitchers held the Athletics to just one hit in the game as Connor Wong drove in three runs and the Red Sox won 7-0. Fortunes turned yesterday, as Ryan Noda and JJ Bleday both hit home runs in the second inning. Luis Medina went 5.2 innings for the Athletics and gave up just three hits while not allowing a run. Athletics pitchers gave up just five hits in the game while striking out eight batters and shutting out the Red Sox in a 3-0 victory.
The Red Sox are now 51-45 on the season good for fourth in the AL East and eight games back of the Rays in the division. They are also 1.5 games back of the Astros for the last wild card spot. Meanwhile, the Athletics are still the worst team in baseball. They are 26-71 on the season and are just 38 games away from elimination.
Here are the Red Sox-Athletics MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Red Sox-Athletics Odds
Boston Red Sox: -1.5 (-137)
Oakland Athletics: +1.5 (+114)
Over: 8.5 (-110)
Under: 8.5 (-110)
How To Watch Red Sox vs. Athletics
TV: NESN/NBCSCA
Stream: MLB.TV
Time: 3:37 PM ET/ 12:37 PM PT
*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Red Sox Could Cover The Spread
While the bats fell silent yesterday, the Boston offense is still stellar. They are fifth in the majors in runs scored this year, while sitting fourth in batting average, sixth in slugging, and sixth in on-base percentage. Rafael Devers has been the main cog in this offense. He is tied for ninth in the majors with 23 home runs while sitting fifth in the Majors with 73 RBIs. He may not start, or even see the field in this one though. Devers has been nursing a calf injury and with the off day tomorrow, he may sit one more day.
Justin Turner has been playing third base in his absence. He has been hot this month. On the month, Turner is hitting .400, with hits in all 13 games he has played, and in 14 straight overall. Turner also has two home runs and five doubles, which has led to 15 RBIs on the month. His OPS on the month is an outstanding 1.059 and he has been playing great. Joining him in hot hitting as of late is Triston Casas. The 23 year old first baseman is on a seven-game hitting streak. In that time ha has three home runs and five RBIs while also scoring seven runs.
Masataka Yoshida is the team leading in batting average. He is hitting .318 on the season which is good for seventh in the majors. Meanwhile, he is hitting a .883 OPS which is 14th in the majors. He has continued to hit well in July. So far this month he is hitting .417 with a .429 OBP. He has four doubles, a triple, and two home runs, which has led to ten RBIs. He has also scored ten times this month, while also stealing three bases.
On the hill, today for the Sox will be Bryan Bello. Bello is 7-5 on the season with a 3.14 ERA. The last time out was one of his worst outting in a month. He went six innings and gave up three runs with two home runs. Still, he grabbed the win, his second in a row. The only loss he has had in his last six starts came June 29th when he went seven innings and gave up a run, but the Red Sox were shut out by the Marlins. This year he has given up over three earned runs just one time and that was his first start of the season.
Why The Athletics Could Cover The Spread
The Athletics need to figure out some offense if they are going to win this game. They are 30th in the majors in runs scored, batting average, and slugging percentage. They are also 28th in on base percentage. The top bat in the lineup this year has been Brent Rooker, who leads the team in home runs and RBIs. This month has not been his best though. He is hitting just .243 on the month with a double and three home runs. That has resulted in him driving in just five runs this month and scoring four times.
Tony Kemp has been one of the hotter bats on the squad as of late. He has hits in his last seven games and is hitting .286 this month. Kemp has just five RBIs though and has scored five times as well. He does have two triples and a double to his credit though. Meanwhile, Ryan Noda has supplied a little power. He has three home runs on the month, including one last night. He also has three doubles, including one last night. Noda has driven in seven runs this month and also scored seven times.
On the hill, today for the Athletics will be Ken Waldichuk. His last time out as a starter he went 3.2 innings and gave up three runs as the Athletics fell to the Twins. He has played with the Red Sox recently. On July 9th he came into the game as a reliever. In that game, he went 1.1 innings and gave up a solo home run, taking the loss. Waldichuk's heat maps show the expectation for more home runs. He is primarily a fast ball pitcher who pitches high and outside to righties and high and tight to lefties. Many of the Red Sox hit well there, and it could result in a rough outting.
Final Red Sox-Athletics Prediction & Pick
The Red Sox were shut out last night. It will not happen again tonight. In their last ten games, they have scored ten or more runs three times. The offense is one of the best in the majors and against a bad pitcher, they will have a good night.
Final Red Sox-Athletics Prediction & Pick: Red Sox -1.5 (-137)
