In this betting guide, we are going to look at the matchup between the Oakland Athletics and the Boston Red Sox before getting the best picks for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Arizona Diamondbacks game.
Oakland Athletics (+125) vs Boston Red Sox (-150)
The Athletics have not done very well this season and have played especially bad at home where they are 7-20. Though the Red Sox are only 11-13 on the road, this bodes well for them as they try to get back on track and stay in the wild card picture.
Athletics’ starter James Kaprielian has struggled over his past two starts allowing nine runs in 9.1 innings and allowing a few home runs. The Red Sox batters are more than capable of hitting balls out of the park and should get to Kaprielian in this game. On the other side, Nathan Eovaldi is on the mound and has pitched alright all season apart from giving up the long ball. The defense of the Red Sox behind him has also helped his cause, but for now, he has held up. He is also coming off a complete game against the Baltimore Orioles and has the ability to strike out a lot of batters. The Athletics’ lineup is on the weaker side, so take the Red Sox to win this opening game of the series while hitting the over (O7, -120).
Pittsburgh Pirates (-120) vs Arizona Diamondbacks (+100)
The Pirates have won three games in a row and are at home where they are 11-14, but the better team in the Diamondbacks are the underdogs and therefore have the better odds to win. The Diamondbacks are also fortunate to have one of their best starters on the mound in Merrill Kelly despite allowing more than a couple of runs in four consecutive starts. He was so good all season until that point, but the Pirates are a team he can use to change the tides once again.
The Pirates may have more confidence in their starter JT Brubaker than they did at the start of the season since he has gone two consecutive outings without allowing an earned run. The Pirates have been unable to get him a win despite his average stats considering he’s only been able to pitch more than six innings this season once. The Diamondbacks have a slight edge in many categories and have the better overall starter playing in tonight’s game. Take them to win and the under (U7.5, -105).
Odds via Yahoo and BetMGM.
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