The Boston Red Sox own seven victories over the rival Yankees this season without a loss and shoot for No. 8 when the teams meet for the middle game of this three-game weekend series Saturday night in the Bronx. Boston is playing well above expectations this season and leads the AL East, while New York is playing below expectations and sits in fourth place. Gerrit Cole gets the call here for the home team against former Yankee Nathan Eovaldi for the visitors. How are we betting this game with our free baseball betting pick?
MLB Betting Odds
Saturday’s baseball betting lines opened New York at around -160 over Boston, with an over/under of eight runs. Early betting action then dropped that line 35 cents, all the way down to -125.
Red Sox-Yankees MLB Betting Preview
Boston grabbed the opener of this series Friday night 4-0. The Sox scored three runs in the second inning and held on from there, as starter Eduardo Rodriguez and two relievers combined on a three-hit shutout.
Boston won Friday as a -110 favorite on the betting line, and the game played under a total of 9.5 runs.
With Friday’s win, the Red Sox are 2-4 over their last six games.
With Friday’s loss, New York is 2-3 over its last five games.
At 56-36 overall, Boston leads the AL East by 1.5 games over second-place Tampa Bay. Boston is also on a pace to win 98 games while playing against its season wins over/under of 80.5. In fact, the Sox only need 25 wins over their last 70 games to play over their total.
At 46-44, the Yankees trail Boston by nine games in the AL East, and they sit 5.5 games behind Oakland in the battle for the second American League wild-card spot. New York is also on a pace to win 84 games playing against its wins over/under of 95.5. So the Yanks gotta win 50 of their last 72 games to play over their total.
Boston leads the season series with New York seven games to none, having swept a pair of three-game series in June.
Saturday’s Pitching Match-Up
Cole is 13/18 on quality starts this year but only one for his last three. Last Wednesday, he tossed a complete-game, three-hit shutout in a 1-0 New York victory over Houston. But over his two starts previous to that, he gave up ten runs – nine earned – and 14 hits, including four home runs, through 8 1/3 innings.
The Yankees are only 9-9 with Cole this season and just 1-3 over his last four starts.
In his only previous start this season against Boston, three weeks ago at Fenway Park, Cole got clipped for five ER and eight hits, including three dingers, through five frames of a 9-2 New York defeat.
Eovaldi is 7/18 on quality starts this year and two for his last three. Eleven days ago, he gave up five runs and nine hits through 5 2/3 innings of a 5-3 Sox loss to the Angels. But in his two starts previous to that, he allowed just one run and 12 hits through 14 2/3 innings.
On the season, Boston is 11-7 with Eovaldi, 2-1 over his last three starts.
In two starts already this season against the Yankees, Eovaldi allowed two ER and 15 hits through 13 2/3 innings, with zero walks and 13 strikeouts. The Sox won both those games.
Splits With the Sticks
Boston is batting .256 against right-handed pitching this season, with a .319 team OBP and a .443 team slugging percentage.
New York is slashing .228/.317/.378 against left-handed pitching this season.
- Get more details: Red Sox vs. Yankees 7/17/21 Game Matchup Stats
The Bullpens
The Boston bullpen owns a 3.57 ERA this season, along with a 1.37 WHIP and a 2.48 K/BB ratio.
The New York pen owns a 3.58 ERA, a 1.16 WHIP, and a 3.11 K/BB ratio.
MLB Betting Trends
- The Red Sox are 28-17 on the road this season.
- The Yankees are 23-23 at home this season.
- The Red Sox are 37-22 against right-handed starters this season.
- The Yankees are 31-28 against right-handed starters this season.
Totals Report
Unders are 47-41 in Red Sox games this season.
Unders are 48-40 in Yankees games this season.
Unders are 24-20 in games played at Yankee Stadium this season.
Unders are a combined 20-15 with Cole and Eovaldi this season.
Unders are 4-3 in Sox-Yanks games this season.
