It only seems fitting that the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees will begin a three-game series against one another right before the all-star break.
For Friday’s game at Yankee Stadium, the Yankees are home favorites with a moneyline of -180 compared to Boston’s moneyline of +150. The series opener also has an over/under of 8.5 runs.
The Yankees head into this series in a rare slump, losing four of their last five games. They lost the last two games of their series against the Red Sox last weekend and then lost two of three games against the Reds earlier this week. Nevertheless, they have the best record in baseball and have a 13-game lead atop the AL East.
Of course, the Red Sox are also in a bad place, losing four straight games to the Rays this week after ending last weekend with back-to-back wins over the Yankees. After a great month of June, the Red Sox are just 4-10 during July. That has pushed Boston 15.5 games back in the division and into a tie with Toronto for the final Wild Card spot.
Back in the Bronx
Former Yankee Nathan Eovaldi will get the start on Friday for Boston against his old team. Eovaldi has had a strong season, going 4-2 with a 3.16 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP over 12 starts. Of course, this will be his first start in over a month after going on the IL last month with a back problem.
Meanwhile, the Red Sox averaged just three runs per game while getting swept by the Rays this week. Even with Alex Verdugo getting hot, the Red Sox are relying too much on the trio of J.D. Martinez, Rafael Devers, and Xander Bogaerts.
Rob Refsnyder, another former Yankee, is also starting to get hot at the plate, but the bottom half of Boston’s lineup isn’t producing much these days.
Montgomery Station
Lefty Jordan Montgomery will try to get the Yankees back on track. He’s made 17 starts in pinstripes this year, going 3-2 with a 3.19 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP, becoming an underrated part of New York’s rotation.
Despite the Yankees losing his last two starts, Montgomery has pitched well in July, allowing just three runs over 10.2 innings, although he’s been hurt by the long ball, giving up three homers in those two starts.
The good news for the Yankees is they are continuing to score runs despite their losing skid. Even with four losses in their last five games, they are averaging 5.4 runs per game during that stretch.
The likes of Gleyber Torres and D.J. LeMaheiu continue to produce, although power hitters like Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge, and Josh Donaldson have started to go cold over the last week.
Dual Slumps
It’s tough to see where the value is in this game with these two teams combining to go 1-6 since their series against each other ended last weekend.
With Eovaldi coming off the IL, there is a little bit of mystery with Boston’s pitching, especially with the Yankees continuing to score runs. Bet on the Yankees to get back on track with a win on Friday.
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