Following a fantastic first three-quarters of this baseball betting season, the Red Sox seem to be fading heading into the home stretch. Boston just lost two games to the Yankees Tuesday and is now tied with New York in the American League playoff standings. The Sox seek to avoid the series sweep when these rivals meet Wednesday night in the Bronx.
Two pitchers with a combined ERA of nearly 10 take their turns here as newcomer Andrew Heaney goes for the Yanks against Nick Pivetta for the Sox. How are we playing this game with our free baseball betting pick?
MLB Betting Odds
Wednesday’s baseball betting lines opened New York at around -115 over Boston, with an over/under of 9.5 runs. Early betting action then bumped that total to 10.
The Yanks could also be found getting upwards of +150, giving the run and a half on the run line.
Red Sox-Yankees MLB Betting Preview
New York opened this series by sweeping a doubleheader Tuesday by scores of 5-3 and 2-0. Just before that, the Yankees took a make-up game from the Angels, and just before that, they took two of three games from the White Sox. Going back a bit further, New York is 7-0 over its last seven series and 17-5 over its previous 22 games.
The Red Sox, meanwhile, had just swept three games from Baltimore, while just before that, they lost two of three to Tampa Bay. Going back a bit further, Boston is just 6-14 over its last 20 games.
At 68-52 and 69-53, respectively, New York and Boston are tied for second place in the AL East, five games behind first-place Tampa Bay. The Yanks and Sox are also tied with Oakland for the lead in the American League wild-card race, four games clear of Seattle and Toronto. So at the moment, it’s a three-team scrum for those two wild-card slots.
Boston leads the season series with New York 10 games to five.
Wednesday’s Pitching Match-Up
Heaney, by our strict standards, is 6/23 on quality starts this season, 0/3 since joining New York in that trade with the Angels three weeks ago. Last Thursday, in the cornfield in Iowa against the White Sox, Heaney got touched for seven runs and three home runs through five innings of that 9-8 Yankees loss. And since becoming a Yank, he’s allowed 15 runs and eight home runs through 15 innings.
The Angels, basically a .500 team this season, played 8-10 with Heaney, and the Yankees are 1-2 with him.
In his one start this season against Boston, while with the Angels six weeks ago, Heaney allowed three runs and six hits through 5 1/3 innings of a 5-4 Los Angeles victory.
Pivetta is 8/23 on quality starts this year and two for his last two. Last Friday, he held Baltimore to one run and three hits through six frames of an 8-1 Sox win, and just before that, he held Toronto scoreless on one hit through six innings, although Boston lost that game 1-0.
The Red Sox are 15-8 with Pivetta this year but only 3-3 over his last six starts.
This will be Pivetta’s first career start against the Yankees.
Splits With the Sticks
Boston is batting .267 against left-handed pitching this season, with a .333 team OBP and a .435 team slugging percentage.
New York is slashing .229/.319/.385 against -handed pitching. And the Yankees are still operating without several guys who would normally be in the lineup, including newcomer Anthony Rizzo.
- Get more details: Red Sox vs. Yankees 8/18/21 Game Matchup Stats
The Bullpens
The New York bullpen owns a 3.55 ERA this season, along with a 1.20 WHIP and a 2.90 K/BB ratio. But this unit is operating without closer Aroldis Chapman, and it probably cost ’em that game in Iowa.
The Red Sox pen owns a 4.00 ERA, a 1.40 WHIP, and a 2.37 K/BB ratio.
MLB Betting Trends
- The Red Sox are 32-29 on the road this season.
- The Yankees are 35-25 at home.
- The Red Sox are 24-23 against left-handed starters this season.
- The Yankees are 46-32 against right-handed starters.
Totals Report
Unders are 65-52 in Red Sox games this season.
Unders are 67-50 in Yankees games.
Unders are 10-4 in Red Sox-Yankees games this season.
Unders are 30-23 in games played at Yankee Stadium this season.
Overs are a combined 24-19 with Heaney and Pivetta this season.
