The Boston Red Sox will take on the Oakland Athletics on Friday night. It's time to continue our MLB odds series and make a Red Sox-Athletics prediction and pick.
This is a matchup between two of the most disappointing teams in the MLB. The expectations surrounding the Red Sox were sky-high coming into the season, but Boston hasn't come close to fulfilling them. They're currently 24-27 on the season, a record that has them ranked fourth in their division and a full twelve games out of first place. The Athletics didn't have the same expectations as the Red Sox, but their 20-33 record is disappointing nonetheless. Both teams need to start winning, so this should be an entertaining matchup. Let's cut to the chase and get into the pick.
Here are the Red Sox-Athletics MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Red Sox-Athletics Odds
Boston Red Sox: -1.5 (+112)
Oakland Athletics: +1.5 (-134)
Over: 7.5 (+102)
Under: 7.5 (-128)
*Watch MLB Games LIVE with fuboTV (click for free trial)
Why The Red Sox Could Cover The Spread
The Red Sox will put one of their better starters on the mound in this game. Nathan Eovaldi has been one of the better pitchers on Boston, and one of the more solid pitchers in the league. He's earned a 3.77 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP through ten appearances. Helping Eovaldi is the fact that he's facing arguably the worst offense in the MLB. The Athletics rank dead last in batting average, OBP, and slugging percentage, while ranking second-to-last in OPS. Oakland has scored more than five runs in only two of their last eight games, and it's fair to expect that streak to continue.
The Athletics don't have the privilege of deploying a good pitcher in this matchup. James Kaprielian has been pretty terrible, earning himself a 5.93 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP. To make matters even worse, some of Kaprielian's worst performances have come against terrible offensive teams. The righty just got shelled for four runs over four innings against the Texas Rangers, and recently gave up five runs over five innings to the Seattle Mariners. The Red Sox shouldn't have too much trouble in this game.
Why The Athletics Could Cover The Spread
While Eovaldi has been pitching well this season, there are a couple of reasons to think that the Athletics can hit him well. Eovaldi gives up a 47% hard-hit percentage and an average exit velocity of 91.7 MPH, two of the worst numbers in those categories. His expected slugging percentage also isn't great. Half of the Athletics' lineup owns an above-average hard-hit percentage, and Eovaldi's numbers overall just don't really match up that well with anyone. The A's should be able to get some offense going in this one.
Home field advantage will benefit the Athletics in this game. All of Boston's major offensive numbers go down when they play on the road, and they have a worse overall road record than they do home record. The Red Sox have also lost three of their last five road series, including a totally humiliating defeat at the hands of the Baltimore Orioles. They also split a road series against the Atlanta Braves, another poor team. Overall the Red Sox have looked incredibly uncomfortable on the road, and that won't change here.
Final Red Sox-Athletics Prediction & Pick
The Red Sox should win this game handily. Kaprielian is just not reliable enough to place a bet on. Lock in Boston in this spot and don't look back.
Final Red Sox-Athletics Prediction & Pick: Boston Red Sox: -1.5 (+112)
Follow Us
Subscribe