Red Sox vs Yankees Predictions, Odds & Betting Tips

One of the best rivalries in Major League Baseball and in all of sports is rekindled when the Boston Red Sox visit the New York Yankees on Thursday, August 21 in the opener of a four-game set. The game is larger in more ways than just a rivalry with the teams tied for second in the AL East and for the top wild card entering the week. After a stretch that saw them lose seven of nine games, the Yankees closed last week with a three-game sweep of the Cardinals giving them five wins in six games allowing them to catch the Sox, who lost on Monday for the sixth time in nine games.

The game will be televised on FOX with first pitch scheduled for 7:15 p.m. ET from Yankee Stadium.

Red Sox at Yankees Game Preview

Since July 4 the Red Sox have put together winning streaks of 10 games and seven games to get into the postseason picture. From then until August 8 they went 22-7 and at times looked unbeatable with a relentless offense and solid pitching. Baseball can humble even the best teams and players and the Sox have experienced a change of scenery recently dropping seven of 11 games, including Monday’s 6-3 setback to the Orioles.

Many thought the club would tank after dealing Rafael Devers in May, but the move had the opposite effect on both teams involved. Boston has moved into a playoff spot while Devers’ new team the Giants have slid into oblivion.

Management knew what it was doing getting rid of a player who could spoil the young talent. One of the youngsters leading the way is Roman Anthony, who’s hitting .280 and helps the club average 5.0 runs/game. Pitching has been strong with Thursday’s probable starter Lucas Giolito a key contributor going 8-2 with a 3.63 ERA in 19 starts.

We didn’t expect New York’s slump to last but it went on longer than the team anticipated. It not only cost them the lead in the division but also put them in a mad scramble for a wild card. Entering the week the Yankees, Red Sox and Seattle were all tied for the top wild card three games ahead of Cleveland.

The Yankees welcomed back Aaron Judge from a stint on the IL about two weeks ago and it is no surprise that they started winning games shortly after. With Judge hitting his 39th home run of the season on Saturday, the Yankees showed off their quick strike offense. They lead the majors in home runs and average more than 5.1 runs. They will need to continue hammering the baseball as the pitching staff works through a rough patch.

Ace Max Fried has been lit up his last few outings meaning Thursday’s probable Luis Gil will have to produce. Making his third start since returning to the rotation Gil allowed four hits and one run with four strikeouts in 5.1 innings in a 4-3 win over St. Louis.

Red Sox at Yankees Predictions

The Yankees need Gil to solidify their rotation and he’s gotten progressively better in his three starts. Couple that with his success against Boston and I like New York’s chances. Another confidence booster in favor of the Yankees is their play at home.

They took some lumps recently but overall they’ve been good inside Yankee Stadium winning nearly 60 percent of their games. One thing that has kept Boston from having a better overall record is their play on the road. They lost four times on a recent six-game trip and boast the second worst road record of any team currently in a playoff spot.

Red Sox at Yankees Betting Tips

With Judge back in the lineup and the Yankees getting solid relief appearances from their trade deadline acquisitions, they are starting to trend back up. They need guys in the rotation to pick it up, including Fried and Gil, who is scheduled to make just his fourth start of the year. The Yankees won Gil’s last two starts and he looked closer to the hurler who won 15 games a season ago. The worst may be behind the Yankees, who closed last week with a bang and return home looking to make up ground.

The pendulum has swung violently for the Sox, who either seem to win a bunch of games or lose a bunch. One strength has been pitching, with the staff compiling the sixth-lowest ERA making this game a candidate to cash the UNDER on the MLB betting odds.

Red Sox at Yankees Head-to-Head and Key Stats

As close as the teams are in the standings and on the stat sheet it’s hard to imagine the Red Sox continuing to have the amount of success they’ve enjoyed in the series. The teams haven’t met since June when the Red Sox won five in a row after dropping the first game of the season series.

All three games played in New York went OVER the closing total with at least 15 combined runs scored in each contest. It’ll be tough for Boston to do that amount of damage against Gil, who has allowed two earned runs in his last three starts against the Sox.