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The Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees will play the second of their four-game rivalry series with a Friday night showdown at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. With that said, it’s a good time to check out our MLB odds series, which includes a Red Sox-Yankees prediction and pick, laid out below.
Boston lost another heartbreaking game last night to bring their record to 72-77, last place in the AL East. Between injuries and bullpen issues, it has been a long season for this team and fans alike. Still, ownership has committed to both manager Alex Cora and General Manager Chaim Bloom for next season.
New York, with yet another thrilling win, brings their winning streak to five games, and their record to 91-58. Last night's walk-off win officially clinched a postseason berth for the club. With the club playing some of their best baseball down the stretch, other teams should be alarmed.
Here are the Red Sox-Yankees MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Red Sox-Yankees Odds
Boston Red Sox: +1.5 (-110)
New York Yankees: -1.5 (-110)
Over: 7.5 (-108)
Under: 7.5 (-114)
Why The Red Sox Could Cover The Spread
Rich Hill, the ageless lefty, is tonight's starting pitcher for Boston. Hill has gone 7-7 with a 4.70 ERA with 90 strikeouts in 107.1 innings across his 23 starts. Hill has been known for his high-spin curveball, and it has been featured the most in his arsenal. Batters have hit .246 against the curveball, producing a .394 slugging percentage. However, Hill's fastball, which he throws 35.8 percent of the time, has been disastrous. Batters have hit .325 with a concerning .563 slugging percentage against the pitch.
Boston's bullpen has struggled since the All-Star break, and last night was no different. After fighting back from a three-run deficit to take a 4-3 lead, Boston's bullpen surrendered the tying run in the eighth and subsequently the winning run in the tenth. Matt Barnes has rebounded from his awful start to the season, pitching to a 1.88 ERA in his last 15 games, including a scoreless ninth last night. Overall, Barnes has pitched to a 4.79 ERA in 40 appearances. John Schreiber has been the best option of the group, pitching to a 1.92 ERA and 67 strikeouts in 61 innings.
Rafael Devers has been the catalyst of this offense, leading with 27 home runs and 84 RBI, ranking second with 39 doubles and a .291 batting average. Xander Bogaerts leads the team with a .314 batting average, ranking third with 38 doubles, and has hit 14 home runs. Also of note, Bogaerts is enjoying his finest defensive season, being worth five outs above average according to Baseball Savant. From 2016-2021, Bogaerts was worth an astonishing -31 outs above average. JD Martinez leads the team with 40 doubles, adding 12 home runs. Alex Verdugo is the fourth and final Red Sox with over 30 doubles, checking in at 35, hitting .279 with nine home runs.
Triston Casas has four career hits, three of them have been home runs, and two of those home runs have come against the Yankees. One of those home runs even came against tonight's starter Gerrit Cole. Bobby Dalbec is back with the club, taking the roster spot of Trevor Story, who will likely miss the rest of the season. Dalbec has hit 11 home runs with the big league club. Boston leads the league with 332 doubles and ranks fourth with a .259 team batting average.
Why The Yankees Could Cover The Spread
Gerrit Cole will take the ball tonight, looking to keep the winning streak alive. Cole has gone 12-7 with a 3.41 ERA and 236 strikeouts in 182.1 innings across 30 starts this season. Cole has struck out 32.6 percent of the batters he has faced, which ranks in the 93rd percentile in the league. Attacking mainly with a fastball and slider, Cole has held batters to a .196 batting average against the two, with 200 strikeouts in 516 at-bats.
New York's bullpen is third in the league with a 3.10 ERA, striking out 526 batters in 520 innings. Closer Clay Holmes turned in his best performance of late, tossing two shutout innings with one strikeout to earn the win last night. Holmes has pitched to a 2.59 ERA in 62.2 innings. Lou Trivino has been great since being acquired at the deadline, posting a 1.59 ERA with 18 strikeouts in 17 innings.
Aaron Judge continued his historic season last night, walking three times while pitchers worked with care to avoid becoming a trivia answer. Judge leads the American League with a .316 batting average, and leads all of baseball with 60 home runs and 128 RBI. Judge's 27 doubles are tied for the team lead, and his 16 stolen bases are second on the team. Giancarlo Stanton hit another home run last night, bringing his season total to 28. Anthony Rizzo is second on the team with 31 home runs, adding 20 doubles.
Gleyber Torres is hitting .414 with two home runs across his last seven, and .317 with five home runs across his last 15 games, bringing his season total to 23 home runs. Josh Donaldson has been redhot the last seven games, with a .333 batting average and two home runs. Donaldson is tied for the team lead with 27 doubles. New York leads the league with 237 home runs and 571 walks.
Final Red Sox-Yankees Prediction & Pick
The streak lives on!
Final Red Sox-Yankees Prediction & Pick: New York -1.5 (-110), over 7.5 (-108)