The Red Sox make the trip to Los Angeles to face the Dodgers! These two teams have a lot of momentum in the second half of the season. The Red Sox are red-hot when compared to the Dodgers because the Dodgers were spiraling into the All-Star break. Our MLB odds series has our Red Sox-Dodgers prediction, odds, and pick for Friday.

Red Sox-Dodgers Projected Starters 

Nick Pivetta vs. Gavin Stone

Nick Pivetta (4-6) with a 4.18 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP

Last Start: Pitched 6.2 innings and gave up four runs on six hits with two walks and 10 strikeouts in a Red Sox loss.

2024 Road Splits: (3-2) 2.97 ERA

Gavin Stone (9-3) with a 3.26 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP

Last Start: Pitched 4.2 innings and gave up four runs on nine hits with zero walks and three strikeouts in a Dodgers loss.

2024 Home Splits: (3-1) 3.67 ERA

Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

MLB Odds: Red Sox-Dodgers Odds

Boston Red Sox: +1.5 (-194)

Moneyline: +112

Los Angeles Dodgers: -1.5 (+158)

Moneyline: -132

Over: 8.5 (-105)

Under: 8.5 (-115)

How to Watch Red Sox vs. Dodgers

Time: 10:10 pm ET

TV: NESN / Spectrum SportsNet

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why The Red Sox Will Cover The Spread/Win

The Red Sox got hot and have played much better recently. They have a 53-42 record and have won three out of their last four games. Statistically, the Red Sox are fourth in offense and fifth in pitching. Tyler O'Neill, Triston Casas, Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela, and Rafael Devers are all talented players and have been solid to a varying degree behind the plate so far this season. Regarding their pitching, Tanner Houck, Nick Pivetta, and Garrett Whitlock despite his current injury have made up a great pitching staff. The Red Sox have played well recently and need to continue it moving forward in the second half.

The Red Sox are starting Nick Pivetta on the mound where he has a 4-6 record, a 4.18 ERA, and a 1.14 WHIP. He has allowed 35 runs on 66 hits with 20 walks and 88 strikeouts through 75.1 total innings this season. In the 14 games he has started this year, the Red Sox are 8-6. Pivetta has had mixed results this season, by being solid at points and then struggling in other games. He has a huge challenge against an offense as potent as the Dodgers behind the plate.

The Red Sox's offense is playing great. They are fourth in team batting average at .255 after finishing last season at .258. The offense is led by Rafael Devers and Jarren Duran in most batting categories behind the plate. Devers leads in batting average at .295, in home runs at 23, in RBI at 61, and in OBP at .378. Finally, Duran leads in total hits at 113. This offense is playing great as a unit but gets a huge challenge against Gavin Stone on the mound for the Dodgers because he has been quietly having a great season in Los Angeles.

Why The Dodgers Will Cover The Spread/Win

The Dodgers were the team with the biggest expectations heading into this season and are living up to them. They have a 56-41 record but have struggled recently, losing six out of their last seven games. Their offense is sixth in the MLB, while their pitching is a top 10 unit in the MLB. On offense, there are stars with Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Teoscar Hernandez, Freddie Freeman, Will Smith, and Max Muncy. Their pitching is then led by Tyler Glasnow, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Gavin Stone on the mound.

The Dodgers are starting Gavin Stone on the mound and he has a 9-3 record, a 3.26 ERA, and a 1.23 WHIP. Through 96.2 innings, Stone has allowed 35 runs on 91 hits with 28 walks and 76 strikeouts. The Dodgers are 12-5 in the 17 games he has started this season. Stone has been an underrated bright spot in the pitching rotation for the Dodgers and has been a key piece to their success. This matchup gets interesting because of how well the Red Sox have played behind the plate.

The Dodgers have the most talent on offense in the MLB, and they are sitting with a .254 batting average, which is sixth in the MLB. This is after they finished with a .257 batting average last year. Shohei Ohtani leads the way in every important batting category. He leads in batting average at .316, in home runs at 29, in RBI at 69, in OBP, in total hits at 117, and in OBP with Mookie Betts out at .400. The Dodgers get an interesting matchup in this game against Pivetta for the Red Sox. He has struggled with consistency this season but has still shown flashes. This Dodgers offense could explode if things line up right.

Final Red Sox-Dodgers Prediction & Pick

These two teams are playing very similarly this season. The Dodgers have the pitching advantage with Gavin Stone over Nick Pivetta. The offensive differences are marginal, but the Red Sox are slightly better. This should be a close game, so expect the Red Sox to cover in Los Angeles, even if the Dodgers still hang on for a win.

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Final Red Sox-Dodgers Prediction & Pick: Red Sox +1.5 (-194)