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BookMaker is the only online sportsbook where you can get the earliest MLB moneylines, runlines, totals and props. If you want to wager on baseball odds like the pros do, you need to join BookMaker today! The ballgame between the Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox will take place Sunday, April 30, 2017, at 8:08 p.m. ET at Fenway Park. The matchup can be seen live on ESPN.
The Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox will wrap up a three game series on Sunday night in what some believe could be a World Series preview. Neither team has gotten off to the start they were looking to, but both are starting to get into stride as the month of April comes to an end.
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ODDS ANALYSIS
The Cubs’ bats are starting to come around. Javier Baez, Kyle Schwarber and Ben Zobrist still have averages well below where they like with Baez’s .214 mark leading the group.
Schwarber has been able to overcome the low average with a ton of walks and some early pop. He’s getting on base at a .351 clip making him an effective, although unconventional, lead-off hitter.
Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant have both found their stroke. Rizzo’s found his power, too, while Bryant is still looking, but the team still ranks fourth in the sport in runs scored already and that’s with a number of underperformers.
The Red Sox have had their underperformers, too, but like the Cubbies, the Sox have a few of their bigger bats warming.
Mookie Betts is hitting .324 and got his second home run against the Orioles over the weekend.
While Boston still has most of the pieces from their league leading offense from a year ago, the loss of David Ortiz has—so far—had a huge impact. The team ranks No. 24 in total runs scored and have a collective .719 OPS.
PROBABLE PITCHERS
The Sunday night pitching matchup is an interesting one with Kyle Hendricks and Eduardo Rodriguez each coming off scoreless outings in their last start.
For Hendricks, the start was especially encouraging. The 27-year old right-hander had a huge breakout season last year going 16-8 with a league leading 2.13 ERA. He was a magician with his pitches, locating them seemingly at will and thriving off his change of speeds, as hitters were often late on his mere 88-mph heater.
This year, he wasn’t quite right in his first three starts. His fastball was down a few miles per hour which he cannot afford. His location was off, too, walking seven batters in 16 innings.
In his last start, however, he saw his fastball back up in the mid-80s and he was locating well. He walked just two batters and allowed just two hits in six scoreless innings against the Pirates.
As for Rodriguez, he’s been the team’s best starter outside of Chris Sale. He’s 1-1 in four games—including three starts—and has a 3.12 ERA. His FIP, however, is a bit elevated indicating a bit of luck as he’s been a bit erratic with 12 walks.
Still, he shut out the Orioles in his last start and has dominating stuff when he’s locating. He can lose his release point from time-to-time and if that happens against Chicago, look for the Cubs to take advantage. If not, E-Rod is good enough to shut down even a stacked lineup like the Cubs’.
LIVE BETTING
Of all the Cubs’ players, Ben Zobrist is the only one with previous career at bats against E-Rod and he went 0-for-3.
Typically, when batters haven’t seen a pitcher before it’s an advantage for the hurler, particularly one with good stuff like Rodriguez. It’ll take one or two times through the order for Chicago to get used to the movement on his breaking pitches and the look of the ball out of his hand. By that time, he could be in the middle of hurling a pretty good game.
The young southpaw, however, will have to contend with a Cubs’ team that’s one of the better ones in baseball against left-handed pitching. Chicago has an .868 OPS against lefties in 161 at bats. That’s good enough to rank third in baseball, behind the hot hitting Nationals and the Eric Thames led Brewers.
QUICK PICK
Both of these teams can score runs even if the Sox’s offense hasn’t yet fully picked it up. Watch to see if Hendricks is hitting the upper-80s with his fastball in the first inning or two. If his stuff and command are back, he could go on a run similar to last year which could provide issues for the Sox’s batters on Sunday night.
In the end, the Cubs are the better team, but the home field should even the odds in this game.
Look for a really close game going down to the end. Both of these bullpens have done an excellent job. Wade Davis has been lights out as a closer for the Cubs, pitching 9.1 scoreless with just three hits and two walks allowed. Craig Kimbrel, Joe Kelly, Heath Hembree and the rest give Boston the deeper pen, but in the end, there’s enough there for the Cubs to capture the win on national television. This team is trending up after a slow start. They’re also the better overall team, swinging the hotter bats.
MLB Odds: Cubs 5, Red Sox 4
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