An exciting AL East battle is on our hands Tuesday night! It's time to continue our MLB odds series with a Red Sox-Blue Jays prediction and pick.
The Jays took Game 1 last night by the score of 7-2. Boston is back in the AL East race once again but is still 12 games behind the dominant New York Yankees. Boston, Toronto, and Tampa Bay Rays are pretty much all competing for 2nd place in the division unless the Yankees take a 180-degree turn. There is still plenty of time left in the season and both of these squads are playing well right now. The red Sox are (42-32) on the season and the Blue Jays are right behind them at (41-32). A win tonight for Toronto would jump the Sox for 2nd in the division.
Let's cut right to the chase.
Here are the Red Sox-Blue Jays MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Red Sox-Blue Jays Odds
Boston Red Sox: +1.5 (-162)
Toronto Blue Jays: -1.5 (+134)
Over: 9 (-118)
Under: 9 (-104)
*Watch MLB Games LIVE with fuboTV (click for free trial)
Why The Red Sox Could Cover The Spread
On the mound tonight for the Sox is right-hander Michael Wacha. Wacha has turned back the clock and is pitching as well as he did in his early St. Louis Cardinals days. He is (6-1) on the year with a 2.34 ERA in 65 innings pitched. The right-hander won't rack up many K's but he is great and now allowing the long ball. He has only allowed seven dingers on the season and that is a good sign going against a power-hitting lineup like the Jays.
Rafael Devers is putting on an MVP-caliber season once again in 2022. His .333 batting average is 3rd in baseball and he currently leads the MLB in hits with 97. He alongside Aaron Judge and Jose Ramirez is making it a tough case right now as to who will keep pace and win MVP. However, the Red Sox lineup is seeing success outside of Devers as well. Trevor Story leads the team with 51 RBIs and Xander Bogaerts leads the team with a .400 OBP. Devers, Bogaerts, and J.D. Martinez are all hitting .342 or higher which shows how valuable this lineup is.
Why The Blue Jays Could Cover The Spread
Ross Stripling will start tonight for the Jays. He is putting together a solid campaign once again as he saw plenty of success with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Stripling is (4-2) with a 3.08 ERA in 52.2 innings. He has turned his season around big time as he has only allowed three runs in his last five outings. In his last five games, he has pitched over 23 innings against great teams like the Yankees and Chicago White Sox. Similar to Wacha, he won't strike out many hitters. It will be up to the defense of the Jays once again to hold off the stellar Red Sox hitting.
On the offensive side for Toronto, they are once again proving why they belong in the playoff conversation with elite hitting all over the lineup. Batting-average-wise, they aren't as consistent as you would think. However, the Jays create timely hits, and the power shows with five hitters already in double figures. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. leads the team with 18 bombs and he's followed by George Springer with 14. Bo Bichette has 12 and Matt Chapman 11. The rising star catcher Alejandro Kirk just smashed his 10th of the season as he is putting on an All-Star level campaign. He is batting .322 (8th in MLB) and has an OPS of .936 which leads the team and is 9th in all of baseball.
That Jays' lineup is scary. If they can attack Wacha then they should be able to cover this spread.
Final Red Sox-Blue Jays Prediction & Pick
Both sides are seeing great pitching from their starters this season. Kevin Gausman tossed a gem against the Sox last night and so I don't see Boston having two straight off nights. Take the Red Sox to cover this spread as it should be a closer contest.
Final Red Sox-Blue Jays Prediction & Pick: Boston Red Sox +1.5 (-162)
Follow Us
Subscribe