Two teams looking for answers will meet at the Oakland Coliseum Friday night trying to get their season back on track. The Boston Red Sox are heading west having lost three of their past give games to teams with records worse than them in the standings. Boston is still ahead of where the A’s find themselves.
Oakland Athletics is stuck in the basement of the American League West and has lost four of its past five games. However, the A’s have had tougher opponents than the Red Sox recently and are coming off a sweep at the hands of division-leading Houston. But anyone betting on baseball knows that anything can happen during the regular season.
Red Sox at Athletics Stats
Boston Stats
Nathan Eovaldi (2-2) will be taking the mound for Boston. The Red Sox righty is coming off a complete-game shutout of the Orioles in his last outing. Eovaldi’s performance helped lower his ERA to 3.77, which ranks in the top 50 of the MLB. Eovaldi has struck out 59 batters in 57.1 innings of work.
MLB betting trends also show Eovaldi has been good on the road this season, compiling a 2.97 ERA away from Fenway Park. Eovaldi has had an issue conceding home runs, as he has allowed 16. Boston has been a strong team on offense this season, producing 4.75 runs per game, which ranks fourth in the league.
The Red Sox have a team batting average of .258, which is third-best in the league. Boston’s lineup has middling power, producing 49 home runs that ranks 17th. Rafael Devers leads Boston with 11 home runs and has a .341 batting average.
Second baseman Trevor Story has smashed nine home runs, while designated hitter J.D. Martinez and shortstop Xander Bogaerts have hit five apiece. The Red Sox have been an OK team away from home this season, compiling an 11-13 record.
Oakland Stats
Anyone making MLB picks today might want to turn away when they look at the A’s offense. Oakland has struggled at the plate throughout the season and things likely won’t get easier for them. The A’s scored 3.38 runs per game, which ranks 29th in the MLB. The A’s also hit .212, which ranks 30th.
Oakland righty James Kapriellian (0-2) will look to curb some of his wildness. In 27.1 innings of work this season, Kapriellian has issued 11 walks and has a 5.93 ERA. Kapriellian has struck out 26 batters.
Sean Brown and Seth Brown lead Oakland with five home runs apiece. Chad Pindler leads the A’s with a .252 batting average and has driven in 15 runs. The A’s are already 13 games below .500 and 14 games out of the division race.
Matchup Information
Red Sox at Athletics Betting Trends
- Boston is 27-24 against the run line.
- Oakland is 26-27 against the run line.
- The over is 20-27-4 in the Red Sox’ games this season.
- The over is 21-27-5 in the A’s games this season.
- The under has gone 4-1-1 in Boston’s last six games.
- Four of Oakland’s last six games have gone over the total.
Red Sox at Athletics Predictions
MLB odds have Boston as a -165 favorite, while the A’s are +140 on the moneyline. The over/under on this game has been set at seven runs.
Boston’s starting pitcher has been vulnerable to allowing home runs this season, but Oakland doesn’t necessarily have the power to make him pay. The Red Sox haven’t been playing their best baseball recently against some of the worst teams in the league. In a hypercompetitive American League East, Boston is in danger of falling out of the race quickly if it can’t start to stack up victories.
The A’s have had an awful home record in a season where most of the fanbase has started to abandon ship when it comes to attending games. While betting Boston this season always seems like a dangerous move, especially recently with its pitching staffs troubles, this seems like a good spot for the Red Sox to right the ship.
Expect Boston to open up a West Coast swing with a victory over Oakland.
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