Yankees Top Saturday Pick vs Red Sox
Cy Young Contender Cole on Mound for New York in Game 2
There have been some unforgettable August series between the rival Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees over the years. This will not be one of them. The Yankees have dropped five games in a row to fall under .500 and Boston just lost consecutive games to the Washington Nationals. Keep that in mind when looking at the MLB predictions.
When the season began, the Yankees trailed only the reigning World Series champion Houston Astros in the odds to win the World Series. The championship odds have tumbled from +750 to +12500. Those are the same odds as what the Las Vegas lines have for the Red Sox.
The good news is that the Yankees will be throwing Gerrit Cole on Saturday and he is listed by the MLB odds as the favorite at -400 in the American League Cy Young Award race.
The Yankees are 35-28 at home while the Red Sox are 28-30 on the road. Something to consider in live betting.
In MLB news, pitcher Carlos Rodon joins infielders Anthony Rizzo and Josh Donaldson on the injured list for the Yankees. For the Red Sox, pitcher Tanner Houck is on the injured list.
When looking at MLB picks, Boston’s odds to make the playoffs come in at +750 compared to -1600 odds to miss the postseason.
Starting Pitchers
- Friday: Brayan Bello (8-7, 3.81 ERA) vs Jhony Brito (4-5, 4.76)
- Saturday: Kutter Crawford (5-6, 3.80) vs Gerrit Cole (10-3, 2.76)
- Sunday: TBA vs Clarke Schmidt (8-7, 4.76)
Red Sox: Story Time
The Red Sox are happy to see infielder Trevor Story back in the middle of the lineup.
Story’s stats in his first season in Boston would have projected to 38 doubles and 28 home runs had he played all 162 games. He was sidelined until Aug. 8.
It has been a bit of a slow start as six of Story’s seven hits came in a three-game span with four coming in a 6-3 win over Detroit. In eight games, he is batting .226 with no extra-base hits and 11 strikeouts.
If he can get going, that would help the Red Sox make a push for the playoffs. He was pretty quiet against the Yankees in 2022 as he hit just .200. However, three of his five hits went for extra bases.
The MLB betting lines total has gone under in seven of Boston’s last eight games.
Yankees: Ace Can’t Save Bronx Bombers
How bad is this New York Yankees team? They struggle to win even when Cy Young Award front-runner Cole is on the mound.
Since the start of July, the Yankees are 3-5 when Cole starts, even though he has allowed more than two runs just twice during that stretch.
The last time out, Cole left after six innings with the Yankees leading 7-2, only to have the bullpen implode by giving up five runs in the ninth inning in the 8-7 loss to Miami.
Cole does have 10 wins, but just one has come in his last seven starts. Even when he threw seven shutout innings against the American League East-leading Baltimore Orioles, as he did on July 28, the Yankees were on the wrong side of a 1-0 score.
When looking at the Las Vegas odds, the Yankees are 30-33 against the run line total at home this season.
Red Sox vs Yankees Head-to-Head
Boston is 5-1 against the Yankees this season and the Red Sox have outscored the Yankees 32-15, with five of those games going under the MLB betting lines total.
The Yankees won the final six meetings during the 2022 season and that included a pair of one-run victories.
The home team has won eight of the last 10 games when the Yankees meet the Red Sox.
Red Sox vs Yankees Series Information
- Game: Red Sox (63-58, fourth in AL East) vs Yankees (60-61, fifth in AL East)
- Day/Time: Friday, 7:05 p.m. ET; Saturday, 1:05 p.m. ET; Sunday, 1:35 p.m ET
- Location: Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY
- Red Sox vs Yankees Live Stream: MLB.tv
Red Sox vs Yankees Series Betting Lines
Red Sox vs Yankees Series Picks and Prediction
Will the Yankees figure out a way to seal the deal when Cole pitches? With the disarray surrounding the starting rotation, that is the biggest question.
The Red Sox are starting to get some players back and that could be the difference in this series. It doesn’t hurt that the Red Sox have been the better team in the head-to-head meetings this season.
The Red Sox are just 15-15 since the MLB All-Star break. That is still four games better than New York as Boston escaped the AL East cellar at the expense of the underachieving Yankees.
Boston and New York are a combined 69-58 when listed as the favorite this season compared to a 48-52 mark as the underdog. Boston has covered in 30 of the first 58 road games, with the Yankees just 30-33 against the spread at home.
Both teams are priced at -115 to win this weekend series.
