New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox Preview
Where: Fenway Park, Boston, MA
When: Tuesday, April 25, 2017, 7:10 PM ET
Line: New York Yankees (+110) at Boston Red Sox (-120); total: 8.0 – view all MLB lines
TV Broadcast: MLB Network, YES, NESN
Betting on the New York Yankees (11-7)
Failing to regain any sort of momentum again are the New York Yankees, who fell to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday, 2-1. The team has now alternated wins and losses for an entire week after having snapped their stunning eight-game win streak last Tuesday.
The fact remains, however, that the Yankees are currently the most imposing team in the majors. Their plus-30 run differential is tops in MLB, having gotten timely production from the likes of Aaron Judge, Starlin Castro and Jacoby Ellsbury.
Judge’s first full season in the big leagues is off to a sizzling start as he has nine hits and three homers over the last seven games. Ellsbury and Castro, meanwhile, have combined for 20 hits and nine runs scored over the same seven-game span, with the former sporting a six-game hit streak and the latter on an even better seven-game run.
The Yanks should also expect a solid outing from Luis Severino (1-1, 4.05 ERA) in Tuesday’s series opener. The right-handed Dominican registered back-to-back starts with double-digit strikeouts and is coming off a career-best eight-inning workload against the White Sox last Tuesday.
However, Severino didn’t get any run support from New York’s hitters then and picked up the loss after giving up four earned runs to Chicago. He’ll need to try and top his last outing in a tough road contest against the Red Sox, and that’s really easier said than done. The Yankees are just 3-6 on the road this season, which includes three-game series defeats to AL East rivals Tampa Bay and Baltimore.
Betting on the Boston Red Sox (11-8)
The Boston Red Sox really needed that 6-2 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday. Not only did they avoid the three-game sweep at the hands of the division-leading O’s, they also needed that win to stay just half-a-game behind the Yankees in the AL East standings.
The Red Sox entered Sunday’s game with a league-low eight home runs, but their bats came alive that day to cap off a contentious series against the Orioles. Mookie Betts, Hanley Ramirez and Mitch Moreland all went yard in that contest, and rookie Andrew Benintendi smacked a career-high five hits in the victory.
Another player to look out for is second baseman Dustin Pedroia, who was the recipient of a hard slide from Baltimore’s Manny Machado in the first meeting of the three-game set and has been held out of action from the past two contests. Pedroia’s listed as day-to-day after having his knee and ankle examined on Monday, but Boston needs him in the lineup badly to keep the offense humming once more. The 33-year-old veteran has a lifetime average of .429 against New York’s Severino to go with a homer and five RBIs.
Again, run production with be key for the Sox, as defending Cy Young winner Rick Porcello (1-2, 5.32 ERA) is not having the best of beginnings this season. Still, Porcello pitched seven innings and didn’t surrender a single run against the Blue Jays in his most recent start last Wednesday, so it appears that the Jersey native is starting to find his groove again.
Despite the concerns with Porcello and the offense, we still like the Red Sox’s chances at home this Monday. They have a four-game win streak at Fenway against the Yanks to date, and they even took eight of 10 meetings at home last season over their most infamous rivals.
Writer’s Prediction
The Red Sox (-120) out a thrilling 5-4 victory by way of walkoff in the ninth.
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