It's time to renew the greatest rivalry in baseball as the Boston Red Sox visit the Bronx on Friday to face the New York Yankees. We're here to share our MLB odds series, make a Red Sox-Yankees prediction, and pick while showing you how to watch.

Red Sox-Yankees Projected Starters 

Tanner Houck vs. Nestor Cortes

Tanner Houck (7-6) with a 2.67 ERA

Last Start: Houck struggled in his last start, lasting just 4 1/3 innings, allowing eight runs, seven earned, on nine hits while striking out four and walking one in a loss to the San Diego Padres.

2024 Road Splits: Houck has been excellent on the road, going 4-2 with a 1.85 ERA over seven starts away from Fenway Park.

Nestor Cortes (4-7) with a 3.51 ERA

Last Start: Cortes labored in his previous outing, going just 4 1/3 innings while allowing three earned runs on seven hits, striking out five and walking one in a loss to the Toronto Blue Jays.

2024 Home Splits: Cortes has been elite at Yankee Stadium, going 4-3 with a 1.84 ERA over nine starts.

Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

MLB Odds: Red Sox-Yankees Odds

Boston Red Sox: +1.5 (-178)

Moneyline: +120

New York Yankees: -1.5 (+146)

Moneyline: -142

Over: 8 (-118)

Under: 8 (-104)

How to Watch Red Sox vs. Yankees

Time: 7:05 PM ET/4:05 PM PT

TV: NESN and YES Network

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why The Red Sox Will Cover The Spread/Win

If the Red Sox are going to beat the Yankees again, they need to start with good pitching. Ultimately, that means avoiding the bad spots against some of the most dangerous hitters in the game.

Houck has had some success against the Yankees. So far, he is 3-2 with a 2.01 ERA, 42 strikeouts, and one save over 13 games against the Yankees in the regular season and the playoffs. Houck will attempt to hit his spots while eventually turning the ball over to an excellent bullpen. But he will also need some run support. While the Red Sox do have an outstanding lineup, he somehow has lost two road games despite a ridiculous ERA.

Jarren Duran has done well against the Yankees, batting .333 with 11 hits, two RBIs, and six runs over 10 games in his career. Additionally, he is scorching them this season, hitting .417 with five hits, one RBI, and three runs over three games. Rafael Devers has done relatively well against the Yankees, batting .264 with 102 hits, 25 home runs, 67 RBIs, and 65 runs over 103 games against them. Furthermore, he is hitting .260 with 54 hits, 13 home runs, 31 RBIs, and 31 runs over 54 career games at Yankees Stadium. However, the Sox will also need some contributions from Tyler O'Neill. Unfortunately, he is batting only .190 with just four hits, two RBIs, and four runs over five games against the Yanks.

The Red Sox will cover the spread if Houck can avoid the mistakes that hindered him in his last outing. Then, they need Duran and Devers to set the tone while others like O'Neill lift the baseball into the seats.

Why The Yankees Will Cover The Spread/Win

The Yankees lost two of three to the Red Sox earlier this season, partially due to failing pitching and a struggling lineup. To rectify that, they need the pitching to set the bar.

Cortes has been called “Nasty Nestor” because his pitches always looked nasty when coming out of his hand. Yet, he has been more lucky than good against the Red Sox. Cortes is just 2-0 with a 5.59 ERA over 10 games against the Sox. He must find the strike zone if he wants to keep his perfect win-loss record intact. But he also needs his lineup to do better than they did the last time they faced the Sox.

Anthony Volpe has been a good leadoff hitter but struggles against the Sox, batting .189 with 10 hits, one home run, three RBIs, and five runs over 15 games. Even worse, he is just 2 for 14 this season with two runs. Juan Soto has been good, either, batting just .196 with 10 hits, three home runs, six RBIs, and eight runs over 15 games. Likewise, he is 2 for 10 this season, with one home run, one RBI, and three runs.

Aaron Judge is growing into a legend and is batting .237 with 84 hits, 25 home runs, 52 RBIs, and 67 runs over 94 games against the Red Sox. Additionally, he is 3 for 12 this season with one home run, one RBI, and three runs.

The Yankees will cover the spread if Cortes can hit his nasty spots and fool the hitters. Then, the Yanks need Volpe, Soto, and Judge to clobber the baseball.

Final Red Sox-Yankees Prediction & Pick

After taking the series at Fenway Park, the Red Sox are 2-1 against the Yankees this season. Also, they went 5-1 last season at Yankee Stadium. But the Yankees went 8-2 against the Red Sox in 2022. However, there was one constant: the Sox covered the spread in half of those games. Despite being a better team than the Red Sox, the Yankees often struggle against them. We could see that going in the same direction. The Red Sox cover the spread on the road in a close game.

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Final Red Sox-Yankees Prediction & Pick: Boston Red Sox: +1.5 (-178)