In a battle of first versus worst in the AL East, the New York Yankees with a 59-45 record will host the 47-59 Boston Red Sox as these two teams rekindle their rivalry in the middle game of a three game series.
All year, the Yankees have proven to be the safer bet with a cumulative $438 compared to the Sox’s -$1,924.
ODDS ANALYSIS
Since the All-Star break, the Yankees have really begun running away with the division, going 11-5 in their last 16 games though they’ve dropped three of their last five as the Texas Rangers took the final two of a four game series and the White Sox squeezed out a win despite being outscored 27-17 over three games.
For the series against the Sox, New York gets to return home following a 10 game, three city road trip. At home, the Yankees have been much better in going 30-17 in the Bronx.
Boston is just 20-31 on the road this season and enters their series with the Yankees having dropped five of nine, though they have won three of their last four.
PITCHING MATCHUP
Many of the baseball pundits have been criticizing the Yankees for not doing anything at the non-waiver trade deadline to stabilize a pitching rotation that has seen Michael Pineda go on the disabled list and is headed by Masahiro Tanaka who has his own injury concerns.
One of the reasons they did stand pat in the rotation is because of Wednesday’s starter: Luis Severino. He’s the Yankees’ top prospect and will be making his major league debut.
Severino really caught the eye of the team in Spring Training where he pitched well and attacked hitters. He carried that into his minor league season, going 7-0 with a 1.91 ERA in 11 starts at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre after going 2-2 with a 3.32 ERA in eight starts at Double-A Trenton.
In four minor league seasons, Severino has dominated at every level with a cumulative 2.30 ERA and 1.026 WHIP. He’s done well with the strikeouts, averaging 9.1 per nine innings and also done well at keeping the ball in the park, allowing just eight career home runs in 320 2/3 innings.
To face off against Severino, the Red Sox will turn to 30-year old journeyman right-hander Steven Wright.
In 14 games and seven starts this season, the knuckleballer is 4-4 with a 4.53 ERA and 1.307 WHIP in 59 2/3 innings of work. Opposite of Severino, Wright has been plagued by the home run, allowing 11 in the majors.
In Triple-A this year, Wright has been solid, though far less impressive than Severino, pitching to a 2-5 record with a 3.81 ERA and an inflated 1.346 WHIP over 52 innings. In the minors, he only allowed two home runs.
QUOTE TO NOTE
Getting your major league debut against your team’s rival on national television can be a bit overwhelming for a young starter, but Yankee’s manager Joe Girardi is confident Severino can handle it, saying:
“There are no guarantees, but I saw his personality in spring training and the way he handled himself and he wasn’t overwhelmed. Sometimes with pitchers it takes a year, and that wasn’t the case with him. That makes me think he will be able to handle it.”
LIVE/SITUATIONAL BETTING
Interestingly, it’s the pitching that’s plagued the Red Sox with the team ranked No. 28 in ERA at 4.52 while the hitting, overall, has been league average with the BoSox averaging 4.21 runs per game.
While Boston has a solid offensive club, they’ve been a bit inconsistent. The Yankees on the other hand have not had quite the same issue and rank second only to the Blue Jays in runs scored with 4.92 per game.
Over its last nine games, New York has scored fewer than six runs only twice and has plated double digit runs three times.
Amazingly, the Yankees are getting a career year from veteran first baseman Mark Teixeira who is slugging .585 with 29 home runs and 74 RBIs with an OPS over .957. His bat is leading the way, but the rest of the lineup is delivering, too.
While the Yankees are getting comeback performances from many of its aging stars, some of the Sox’s older players are just aging with Mike Napoli hitting just .207 and David Ortiz hitting well with a .806 OPS, but not up to his normal otherworldly numbers.
Add in an injured Dustin Pedroia and Mookie Betts along with a traded Shane Victorino and this offense is up to Ortiz to carry alongside Brock Holt’s .750 OPS and Xander Bogaerts’ .319 average.
PROP TALK
With neither pitcher having much in the way of major league experience, there really aren’t many head-to-head statistics to go to for prop bets. Still, look to Ortiz to deliver against the rookie.
Ortiz’s bat has slowed a bit, but he’s still mashing against right-handers with a .941 OPS. Given Hanley Ramirez’s inconsistencies, Pablo Sandoval’s lackluster performances and the numerous injuries to other Sox players, Ortiz is the one to watch in this game.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
Everything is coming up Yankees in this matchup even with an inexperienced pitcher on the hill. The way Severino has dominated Triple-A, he should be able to at least hold his own at the big league level.
If you factor in the superior Yankee offense and their dynamite back end of the bullpen with Andrew Miller and Dellin Betances along with Chasen Shreve and Justin Wilson, all of whom have an ERA south of 2.70, New York should score the easy win Wednesday night.
New York 7, Boston 4
The MLB lines for this contest will first be released by BookMaker Sportsbook. Since this game can be seen by anyone with a TV, BookMaker will have a multitude of wagering options available for it. Outside of the normal lines, you can gamble on real-time moneylines, player props and inning totals. Live betting is open during every commercial break!
Access live betting lines from your mobile device at BookMaker Sportsbook! You can wager on sporting events as they unfold on television with BookMaker’s live betting platform. Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here so start betting with BookMaker today! The ballgame pitting the Boston Red Sox versus the New York Yankees will commence Wednesday, August 5, 2015, at 7:05 p.m. ET at Yankee Stadium. The matchup can be seen live on ESPN.
