The Oakland Athletics will host the Boston Red Sox for a three-game series at the RingCentral Coliseum set to begin on Friday night. It’s time to continue our MLB odds series and make a Red Sox-Athletics prediction and pick.
Boston has been playing great baseball lately and now holds a 3.5 game lead over the Rays in the AL East standings. The Red Sox are currently riding a seven-game winning streak thanks to an offensive explosion. Oakland, on the other hand, has struggled lately with losses in eight of their last 12 games coming in.
Here’s how sportsbooks have set the opening Red Sox-Athletics odds.
MLB Odds: Red Sox-Athletics Odds
Boston Red Sox +1.5 (-205)
Oakland Athletics -1.5 (+175)
Over 8.5 Runs (-105)
Under 8.5 Runs (-115)
Why The Red Sox Could Cover The Spread
The Boston Red Sox have been the best team in the Majors over the past couple of weeks. They have won seven straight games with two consecutive sweeps over the Yankees and the Royals dating back to last weekend. They are now 51-31 and separating themselves from the rest of the AL East. Boston has been very good on the road this season with a 24-14 record away from Fenway Park.
Boston is averaging a whopping 5.18 runs per game, which is the second-best mark in all of baseball. They are coming off of a 15-run performance on Thursday that saw third-baseman Rafael Devers drive in five runs. The Red Sox have scored at least five runs in six of their last seven games to date. Boston's road success has been impressive as they are 10 games over .500 and possess a +0.71 road run differential.
The Red Sox will turn to left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez for the series opener. Rodriguez has been struggling with a 6-4 record and 5.83 ERA through 15 starts. Rodriguez has been getting swings and misses, striking out 93 batters over 78.2 innings of work this season. The Red Sox southpaw is coming off of a strong start with six innings of two-run ball against the Yankees in his last start. Boston is hoping that this recent win will help Rodriguez turn things around down the stretch.
Why The Athletics Could Cover The Spread
The Oakland Athletics have been quietly putting together a phenomenal season following their rough start. They have really picked up their play on both ends of the field and now sit just 1.5 games back of the Astros in the AL West. Oakland is 48-35 on the season thanks to a 26-20 record at the RingCentral Coliseum. The A's will certainly look to break their current cold spell during this tough weekend series.
Oakland is averaging 4.51 runs per game, which ranks 13th in the Majors. The pitching staff has been steadily improving and they now allow 4.14 runs per game, which is the 11th-best mark in the league. The A's are in a unique situation as they are six games over .500 and possess a -0.17 run differential at home this season. This is all thanks to their horrible start that saw them lose seven of their first eight games of the season by large margins.
The Athletics will hand the ball to right-hander Frankie Montas for the series opener. Montas has been serviceable this season with a 7-7 record and 4.72 ERA through 16 starts. The A's starter has had an up-and-down season, which has been put on full display over his last two starts. The right-hander followed an eight-run outing up with a two-run effort over five innings against the Giants in his last start. His ERA has been inflated by a few bad starts as Montas has allowed three earned runs or less in 12 of his 16 starts.
Final Red Sox-Athletics Prediction & Pick
Although the odds may disagree, roll with this game to go over the total. These two pitchers have been susceptible to horrible outings and the Red Sox offense has been way too dominant to fade. This game has the feel of either a Red Sox blowout or a tic-for-tac high-scoring affair. Although Oakland has struggled at the plate recently, they are 22-11 in games against left-handed starters. I expect them to put an emphasis on scoring runs as they know it's nearly impossible to start the Red Sox offense right now.
FINAL PICK: Over 8.5 Runs (-105)
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