The New York Yankees are playing catch up in the American League East division as they continue to trail their bitter nemesis, the Boston Red Sox, for the top spot in the division. The Red Sox, meanwhile, are arguably the best team in the majors today. After all, they’re the only team with at least 70 wins as of this writing – they currently have 75. Read on for a preview of each of these two teams’ four games in an upcoming series, beginning this Thursday.
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Game by Game Betting Preview for the New York Yankees vs Boston Red Sox Regular Season Series Running from August 2-5 2018
Where: Fenway Park, Boston.
When:
Game 1 Thursday, August 2, 7:10PM EST
Game 2 Friday, August 3, 7:10PM EST
Game 3 Saturday, August 4, 4:05PM EST
Game 4 Sunday, August 5, 8:08PM EST
Line: New York Yankees vs Boston Red Sox – view all MLB lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
Game 1 Thursday, August 2, 7:10PM EST
Starters: CC Sabathia (6-4, 3.53 ERA) vs. Chris Sale (11-4, 2.04 ERA)
Pitching:
Sabathia didn’t pitch long enough in his last start to qualify for a quality start, but he still did good on the mound during a 5-4 home win over Kansas City on July 28. Against the Royals, Sabathia allowed two earned runs on six hits with eight strikeouts in 4.2 innings on the mound. The Yankees are 4-1 in his last five starts. Sabathia will be in for a fight against a walking strikeout machine in Sale, who has been dropping hitters like they’re bad habits. Sale has not allowed a run over his last six starts, which spanned 13.0 innings. Over that stretch, he allowed just 11 hits and struck out 31 batters. The Red Sox are 6-0 in Sale’s last six starts.
Hitting:
- Mookie Betts is 12-for-28 vs. Sabathia
- Aaron Hicks is 8-for-25 vs. Sale.
Writer’s Prediction:
Boston wins, 5-3.
Game 2 Friday, August 3, 7:10PM EST
Starters: Luis Severino (14-4, 2.94 ERA) vs. Rick Porcello (13-4, 4.03 ERA)
Pitching:
Severino hasn’t been right since the All-Star break. In his first two starts in the second half, he’s gone 0-2 with an 11.57 ERA and a .413 opponents’ batting average. Severino is 6-3 with a 3.59 ERA in 11 road starts this season. Porcello followed up a six-inning shutout performance in a 5-3 road win over Baltimore on July 23 with an underwhelming performance last Saturday, when he allowed four earned runs on five hits in 5.2 innings, albeit of a 10-4 home win over Minnesota. He is 5-3 with a 5.10 ERA in 10 home starts.
Hitting:
- Andrew Benintendi is 10-for-22 with two homers vs. Severino.
- Brett Gardner is 16-for-52 with two home runs vs. Porcello.
Writer’s Prediction:
New York wins, 5-4.
Game 3 Saturday, August 4, 4:05PM EST
Starters: J.A. Happ (11-6, 4.05 ERA) vs. Nathan Eovaldi (4-4, 3.80 ERA)
Pitching:
In his first start after getting traded to New York by the Blue Jays, Happ allowed just an earned run on three hits in six innings of a 6-3 win at home over Kansas City. It’s a good start he will look to build up on against the Red Sox. He pitched for 3.2 innings and held the Red Sox scoreless to go with six strikeouts in a 6-4 Toronto loss at Fenway Park on July 12. Eovaldi, meanwhile, starts against his former team in this game. Eovaldi also shined in his first start for his new team, giving up zero runs on four hits in seven innings of a 3-0 win in Boston over Minnesota on July 29.
Hitting:
- Steve Pearce is 10-for 28 vs. Happ.
- Didi Gregorius is 5-for-9 with a home run vs. Eovaldi.
Writer’s Prediction:
Boston wins, 6-5.
Game 4 Sunday, August 5, 8:08PM EST
Starters: Masahiro Tanaka (8-2, 4.09 ERA) vs. David Price (11-6, 4.17 ERA)
Pitching:
Tanaka uncorked a sensational performance the last time he started on the road, holding the Rays scoreless in nine innings (three hits) with nine strikeouts in a 4-0 win at Tropicana Field on July 24. Tanaka is a clean 6-0, though, with a 4.00 ERA in 11 road starts this year. Price was also fantastic in his most recent outing, allowing no runs on eight hits in eight innings of a 2-1 win at home against the Phillies on July 30. The Red Sox are 4-0 in Price’s last four starts.
Hitting:
- Xander Bogaerts is 10-for-35 vs. Tanaka.
- Giancarlo Stanton is 5-for-13 vs. Price.
Writer’s Prediction:
New York wins, 5-4.
Writer’s Overall Series Prediction
The Yankees and the Red Sox cancel one another out by taking two games each in the four game series.
Bet on the Yankees vs Red Sox regular season series
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