Boston Red Sox vs. Toronto Blue Jays: Odds, Prediction
The Toronto Blue Jays will welcome the Boston Red Sox to Rogers Centre for the first time this season, as the AL East rivals open a four-game set on Friday. These teams split a four-game set at Fenway Park last weekend, which ended with Toronto pounding the Sox 13-1.
The Jays are -145 favourites to win on the MLB odds, with a total of 9.0.
Betting Analysis
Boston has a 9-6 edge in the season series and has won five of the last seven meetings. The total has split fairly evenly with eight games going Under and seven going Over. Three of four games in last weekend’s series between these teams went Under.
The Red Sox have struggled over the last week, dropping six of their last seven games overall. They’ve lost five of their last six road games, although they’ve gone 5-1 straight up in their last six road games against Toronto. The total has gone Under in 11 of Boston’s last 14 games overall, including four of their last five.
Toronto is heating up as they continue the chase for the final wild spot in the American League. They’ve won seven of their last eight games overall, including six of their last seven since their return to Rogers Centre. The total has gone Under in eight of the Blue Jays’ last 12 games overall.
Boston Red Sox
It’s been a great season for Boston and the AL East looks like it’s going to come down to them or Tampa Bay. At 64-46, the Red Sox have the fourth-best record in the American League. They’re third in the MLB with a 2.57 batting average, fifth in runs scored with 537 and ninth with 139 home runs. Rafael Devers has been a key piece of the offence and leads the team with 27 homers and 82 RBI. J.D. Martinez has also been crucial, putting up 21 home runs and 68 RBI.
Nathan Eovaldi gets the start on the mound on Friday. Eovaldi is 9-6 on the year with a 3.71 ERA in 21 starts. The 32-year-old veteran has secured himself as a legit No. 1 in the rotation and has had a solid season. Eovaldi brings the heat with a four-seam fastball that averages 97 mph, which ranks top-10 in the league. The only concern is a recent dip in production. He’s given up 14 runs over his last four starts, but he’s still averaging 8.90 strikeouts per nine innings. In eight career appearances against Toronto, Eovaldi is 1-1 with a 3.63 ERA and 1.21 WHIP.
Toronto Blue Jays
At 6.5 games back of Tampa Bay for the AL East lead, it’s wild card or bust for Toronto this season. The good news is they’re only 2.5 games back of the final wild card spot, the bad news is they need to overtake the Yankees and A’s to get that spot and New York and Oakland keep winning. The Jays bats have carried the team. They’re second in the MLB with a 2.65 average , third with 545 runs scored and second with a 163 home runs. MVP candidate Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has led the way with a .322 batting average (sixth in MLB), 34 home runs (second) and 85 RBI (first).
The Jays are turning back to rookie Alek Manoah on the mound. The 23-year-old is 3-1 with a 2.47 ERA this season, striking out 56 batters in 47 1/3 innings of work. Manoah has been a big piece of the rotation for Toronto. He has a four-pitch mix, but generally relies heavily on a four-seam fast ball, a sinker or a slider. Manoah allowed one earned run over six innings in his lone career appearance against the Red Sox at Fenway on June 14. He pitched seven scoreless innings against Kansas City in his last start on July 31.
BOS
TOR