Red Sox vs. Giants prediction and odds for Friday, July 28 (Boston a strong underdog)

The Boston Red Sox are very much in the thick of the wild card hunt, now sitting just 1.5 games back from the Toronto Blue Jays for the final playoff spot.

They'll head to San Francisco for a three-game weekend series against the Giants with the hopes of continuing to gain ground on a postseason berth.

The Red Sox are betting underdogs against the Giants in the series opener, and it might just be my favorite bet of the entire day. Let's take a look at the odds.

It's surprising to me to see the Red Sox being set as betting underdogs considering how much better their offense has been lately compared to the Giants.

Over the last 30 days, the Red Sox rank third in MLB in OPS at .827 and first in batting average at .288. Meanwhile, the Giants are on the other end of the spectrum over that time frame, coming in at dead last in both OPS and batting average at .621 and .202, respectively.

Kutter Crawford gets the start for the Red Sox tonight, and if it being a road game gives you any pause, allow me to put those worries to rest. Crawford's numbers have been significantly better on the road this season compared to at home.

In fact, his ERA sit at 2.48 in 40.0 innings pitched away from Boston, which is much better than the 6.03 ERA he has in 31.1 innings pitched at home.

I won't hesitate to back the Red Sox as underdogs in San Francisco tonight.