The Boston Red Sox might be just 47-59 and -19.24 units this year, but they are most certainly going to be live underdogs against the 59-45 New York Yankees on Thursday night.
PITCHING MATCHUP
CC Sabathia continues to make us wonder whether he should still be in a major league rotation. For our money, he's the weak point of the Yankees, and if the playoffs were to start today, we wouldn't put him in the rotation, or even on the staff if we had our druthers.
The lefty has allowed five runs in each of his last two starts, though it should be noted that those games were on the road and against the tough Twins and Rangers.
But still, even at home, Sabathia has a 6.80 ERA this season. If you're going to live bet on the Yankees, you just have to be prepared for the inevitable. Sabathia has already allowed 24 homers this season, something we'll talk about more in just a second, and that's going to get him into some trouble against this Boston lineup.
We're not all that sure that Eduardo Rodriguez is going to be in much better shape in this game, though. The Yankees have been tearing the cover off of the baseball, as they are coming back from a 10-game road trip in which they averaged a comical 7.8 runs per game.
Rodriguez did a nice job against New York the first time around, but he has had some real stinker games as well, especially against AL East foes. He allowed six runs in his last start against the Orioles, and he allowed nine back in June against the Blue Jays.
The commonality seems to be getting through the lineup twice. Yes, there's a decent chance that Rodriguez will only get through the Yankee order twice and then be back in the dugout, but in his poor games, he has allowed at least four runs in the first two trips around the lineup. Batters are actually hitting 11 points less against him the third time around than the second time around. It's not a fantastic tell for live bettors, but it's certainly something to note in this game.
ADVANCED STATS
Though the overall numbers for the Red Sox aren't good, there are some real power hitters in this lineup. Just over the course of the last month, David Ortiz has an ISO of .304, and even the struggling Mike Napoli, in spite of his 25.4 percent strikeout rate in the last month, has a .222 ISO.
The middle of the Boston lineup could really give Sabathia some problems in this one. If the hulking lefty is leaving balls up in the zone as he has done all season long, the Red Sox could be set to blast off time and time again.
TALKING BULLPENS
If you're going to do live betting on the Red Sox though, you'd better do it in the first seven innings.
The fact of the matter is that Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller just continue to rumble right through teams.
Betances has 87 strikeouts in 54.2 innings of work, while Miller has 54 strikeouts in 36 innings. These two men have 30 saves between them, and Miller has yet to blow a save this year.
Betances is working on 11 consecutive scoreless innings, while Miller has allowed just one run in his last 8.2.
Simply put, games are over when the Yankees get into the eighth with a short lead, and live bettors have been taking advantage of that all season long and could again on Thursday.
The baseball betting odds for this game will first be available at BookMaker Sportsbook. BookMaker is going to have multiple betting options available for this baseball matchup. Live wagering during commercials offers and adjusted moneyline, individual inning run totals and next hitter results. Log in, and start gambling during the game now!
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook! The game between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox will start at 7:10 p.m. ET on Thursday, August 6, 2015 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, NY. The matchup will be televised nationally on the MLB Network.
