The penultimate week of the MLB season concludes on Sunday night with a massive game in the American League Wild Card race between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox.
The Yankees have won the first two games of the series, giving them a chance to earn the sweep at Fenway Park on Sunday. However, the Red Sox are slight favorites in this game at -120, while the Yankees have a moneyline of +100.
With back-to-back wins over the Red Sox, the Yankees have pulled even with Boston in the Wild Card standings. With seven games left, both teams have a two-game lead over the Blue Jays for the two Wild Card spots. More importantly, the Yankees have won five in a row, getting their act together down the stretch.
In fairness, the Red Sox had won seven in a row before losing the series opener to the Yankees on Friday. They also appear to be peaking at the right time of the season, putting them in a good position for the playoffs.
However, the loser of Sunday’s game could be only a game ahead of the Blue Jays heading into the final week of the season, so both teams will look at this as a must-win game.
One Lefty
Eduardo Rodriguez is scheduled to get the start for Boston on Sunday. The lefty has made 29 starts this year, going 11-8 with a 4.97 ERA. It’s been a rough year for Rodriguez, although he’s found himself down the stretch, giving up two runs or less in six of the nine starts he’s made since the start of August.
Of course, the Yankees are suddenly starting to hit again, averaging 6.2 runs per game during their five-game winning streak. Giancarlo Stanton has made the biggest impact in this series and now has three home runs and 11 RBIs over his last six games.
Anthony Rizzo, Gio Urshela, and Gleyber Torres have also started to heat up over the past week, giving the Yankees a much deeper lineup than opposing pitchers saw earlier this month.
The Other Lefty
The Yankees also have a lefty on the mound Sunday night with Jordan Montgomery set to make his 29th start of the season. Montgomery is 8-6 with 3.55 ERA this year, giving the Yankees plenty of stability in their rotation. That has continued down the stretch, with the southpaw allowing one run or less in eight of his last ten starts.
Yet, the Boston lineup doesn’t make it easy for any starting pitcher despite scoring just three runs in each of the first two games of the series. Rafael Devers and Kyle Schwarber have both been crushing it lately for the Red Sox.
However, Boston’s supporting cast has also contributed a lot lately, especially Enrique Hernandez, Jose Iglesias, and Hunter Renfroe.
Sox Getting Swept?
It’s safe to say that the Yankees have gained a lot of momentum with back-to-back wins in this series. They also have the more reliable starting pitcher in Sunday’s game.
With the Yankees being the underdog in this game, the best value pick in this game is betting on the Yanks to complete the sweep.
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