Red Sox vs. Giants prediction and odds for Saturday, July 29 (Fade Giants vs. lefties

The Boston Red Sox are hot at the moment, winning five straight games to pull to within 1.5 games of the final wild card spot in the American League. 

With the Tampa Bay Rays taking on the Houston Astros and the Toronto Blue Jays playing the Los Angeles Angels, there’s a way to make up some ground in the wild card race for Boston with a few wins. 

The San Francisco Giants are tied for the final wild card spot in the National League, but they’ll need to turn things around after a 3-7 stretch in their last 10 games. 

Boston has lefty James Paxton (6-2, 3.46 ERA) on the mound in this game against San Fran’s Anthony DeSclafani (4-8, 4.88 ERA). 

Here are the latest odds and the best bet I have for this Saturday matchup: 

The Red Sox come into this game red hot, and this matchup is a brutal one of the Giants for many reasons. 

First off, Paxton has been very solid this season, allowing three or fewer runs in 10 of his 12 outings. 

Not only that, but the Giants are one of the worst teams in Major League Baseball against left-handed pitching, ranking 29th in the league in OPS this season. Against a strikeout pitcher like Paxton, San Fran is going to be in a tough spot. 

For DeSclafani, something has to change after a brutal last eight appearances (seven starts). 

The Giants righty has a 7.79 ERA and 5.58 FIP over that stretch, allowing 43 hits, 29 runs and 11 walks across 32.1 innings of work. 

The Red Sox should be able to get to him, and I don’t expect the Giants offense to keep up. Back Boston as a slight road favorite.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.