Two of the favorites in the American League East are struggling right now and will look to get back on track as they square off against each other with the Boston Red Sox ( 13-15, -$516 ) traveling north of the border to take on the Toronto Blue Jays ( 14-15, -$204 ).
The BoSox are trending in the wrong direction and with Hanley Ramirez out, this may be the best time for the Jays to take on Boston.
ODDS ANALYSIS
The Red Sox took the first series between these teams as they hosted the Jays back in April, though the series was quite close with the Sox scoring 18 and the Jays putting up 17 in three games.
Offense figures to be the story once again as both teams rank at the bottom of the league in ERA with Boston posting a 4.86 mark and the Jays sitting at 4.83.
While neither have been particularly dominant in the bullpen, it has been the starters that have been the biggest weak spot. Each try to make up the difference with the offense and while the Jays have one of the most fearsome middle of the orders in baseball and the Sox one of the deepest lineups, it has not been enough.
It is particularly not enough for Boston now with Hanley Ramirez’s bat sidelined.
PITCHING MATCHUP
On Sunday, Clay Buchholz and R.A. Dickey match up on the mound.
Neither starter has dominated the opposition, but the veteran knuckler has had more success than Buchholz who currently sits with an inflated 6.03 ERA.
Dickey is 1-3 on the year with a 4.38 ERA and 1.231 WHIP in 39 innings of work.
The 40-year old righty is coming off his best start of the year, going eight innings, allowing just a single run on three hits against the New York Yankees.
On the other side, it is uncertain which Buchholz the Sox will get on Sunday.
The 30-year old right hander has had an incredibly inconsistent season that includes three games where he’s pitched at least six innings with no more than two runs and three games where he has combined to go just 12 1/3 innings while surrendering 18 earned runs.
Against the Jays this year, he has one start and only lasted two and two-thirds innings while giving up five runs.
QUOTE TO NOTE
The losing has started to get to the Red Sox. To close out the series against the Rays, the Sox fell 5-3 and after the game, Dustin Pedroia got a bit short with the media, saying:
“You guys look at one-game seasons. We look at 162. Guys that are [bad] right now with runners in scoring position, that [stuff] will change. Fact. So, there’s your answer. Thanks.”
It will be worth seeing if Boston can overcome the struggles without them starting to eat at the team’s overall psyche.
LIVE/SITUATIONAL BETTING
Boston was leading the team in offense for a while, but has slid down to the middle of the pack over the last couple weeks; losing five of six will do that.
The team really misses Hanley Ramirez who didn’t play either of the team’s last two games against Tampa Bay. Ramirez has been the team’s hottest bat with a .949 OPS and 10 home runs. Without him in the order, others need to step up and perform, namely Mike Napoli who is hitting just .167.
Outside of Napoli and the catching position which has been full of injuries, the rest of the lineup is producing.
For Toronto, after a cold start, catcher Russell Martin has heated up in a big way and now leads the team in most offensive categories including home runs ( seven ) and OPS ( 1.021 ).
Rookie second baseman Devon Travis has also been a god-send for the Jays as he is tied with Martin for the team lead in homers and is getting on base at a .366 clip.
Those two combined with Josh Donaldson ( .892 OPS ) and Jose Bautista ( .797 OPS ) make a great core. Edwin Encarnacion adds additional depth, though he is hitting just .216 this season.
PROP TALK
Even with the offseason moves, David Ortiz and Dustin Pedroia are the center of this team. In prop bets, it is okay to go with one on Sunday, but not the other as Ortiz is 8 for 21 with a pair of homers against Dickey while Pedroia is just 7 for 31.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
Even at 40, Dickey is a lot more reliable than Buchholz who has already had a poor outing against Toronto and there is no reason to expect anything different on Sunday. Add in an injury to the Red Sox’s best hitter so far and it is easy to go with the home team.
Toronto 7, Boston 4
The MLB lines for this contest will first be released by BookMaker Sportsbook. Gamble on the game between every half inning with BookMaker’s live betting feature. Along with an adjusted in-game moneyline, you can wager on what will happen in the next at-bat or how many runs will be scored in the next inning. Live betting is the most exciting way to play!
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 Toronto Blue Jays will commence Sunday, May 10, 2015, at 1:07 p.m. ET at Rogers Centre. You can watch the contest live on the MLB Network.
