The Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees rekindle their MLB betting rivalry in the second of a three-game series tonight. The Yanks and the BoSox are 1st and 2nd place in the American League East, respectively.
Time: 7:05 PM
Venue: Yankee Stadium
Sportsbook MLB betting odds for fans who bet on baseball:
Red Sox -1½ (+155) 9 (-110) +105
Yankees +1½ (-175) 9 (-110) -115
Boston
On the mound: Rick Porcello (RHP, 3-7, 4.24 ERA, 73 K) allowed two home runs in the first inning of his previous start against Baltimore. Oohh, that’s bad. But he ended up having a quality start, surrendering three runs in six innings. That’s good. But he picked up the loss. That’s bad. The 2016 American League Cy Young winner is 1-3 with a 4.78 ERA in five starts in The House That George Built. Porcello won 22 games last season has been struggling as of late – opposing batters have a .371/.402/.552 slash line in his last four appearances.
At bat: Right fielder Mookie Betts (shout out to us?) enters tonight with a .455 (5-for-11) batting average versus the Yankees’ starter.
Miscellanea: Baseman Sam Travis will be part of his Red Sox-Yankees game, but he better enjoy it while it lasts – Dustin Pedroia will return from the DL on Friday.
Trends for fans who bet on baseball: The Red Sox have won and covered in 11 of their last 15 games, but their record drops to 1-7 against the spread and 1-5 straight-up in their last eight and six meetings with the Yankees. The MLB betting total has gone under in two thirds of Boston’s last 12 games and over on 13 of their last 19 road games.
New York
On the mound: CC Sabathia (LHP, 6-2, 4.12 ERA, 53 K) has turned back the hands of time and been playing like when he won the 2007 AL Cy Young. Sab has won four starts in a row and held opponents to a 1.48 ERA with 26 Ks in 24 1/3 innings thanks to a cutter that opens the outside part of the plate wide open. His four-seam fastball has also aided his cause – batters are hitting .133 against with a .300 slugging percentage versus that pitch in his last four starts compared to a .429 average and a .714 slugging in his previous four. Manager Joe Girardi said he “always felt that CC was the glue of the team.” Because you get a buzz on when you sniff him? “I do. I think there is [extra buzz],” Girardi said, at least according to MLB.com.
At bat: Outfielder Brett Gardner enters Wednesday with a .342/.390/.500 career slash line versus Porcello.
Trends for fans who bet on baseball: The Yankees have covered in and won 80% of their last five times hosting the Red Sox. The MLB betting total has gone under in four of the Yanks’ last five encounters with the BoSox, and under in three fourths of Boston’s last eight visits to Yankee Stadium.