Tension should be running high in Beantown this weekend, including on Saturday night when the New York Yankees (45-39 SU, -1.38 Units) take on the Boston Red Sox (41-45 SU, -10.44 Units).
ODDS ANALYSIS
The Red Sox have dropped four straight games in this series against the Yankees, including losing three straight here at home back in May. That series, the Bronx Bombers picked up 3.55 units for their bettors, a number they'll hope to improve upon on Saturday.
PITCHING MATCHUP
Nothing is in stone yet for Saturday from either of these teams, but if all goes according to plan, Ivan Nova will face Eduardo Rodriguez.
Nova has only started three games since returning from last season's Tommy John surgery. The results have been mixed.
The righty threw 6.2 shutout innings in his first start against Philadelphia, though it should be remembered that he threw against the worst offense in the majors. He then allowed six runs, five of which were earned over just 10.1 total innings in his next two starts against legit offenses (Tampa Bay and the Angels).
Through eight starts, it looks like Rodriguez has some staying power in Boston. He is 4-2 with a 3.69 ERA, and though he has had some ups and downs, for the time being, he's on a high with two straight solid outings of just one run allowed.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"To play defense, you have to prepare yourself. I don't know how this is going to go. I don't know how this is going to play out. Tomorrow we have a day off, and I agreed to play first base today. But if they plan on putting me out there more, I have to sit down and talk to them about it, because I don't want to be playing out there, not being prepared to play out there." – Red Sox DH David Ortiz, who has played first base a bit lately to replace the struggling Mike Napoli
SITUATIONAL BETTING
Defense certainly isn't Ortiz's forte, and that's something interesting to watch in this one.
Napoli can't hit the broad side of a barn right now, which has forced John Farrell's hands just a bit on Ortiz at first. If Rodriguez ends up not relying upon his strikeout all that much and the ball gets put in play a ton, don't be surprised if there are a couple crucial plays that Ortiz just doesn't make.
New York's bats will certainly be available for live betting purposes, especially when the speed is up to bat.
PROP TALK
Jacoby Ellsbury is back in the lineup after several weeks off for the Yankees, and he clearly looks like his old self. He beat out an infield single in his first game back on Wednesday, and he'd like nothing more than to stick it to the team which let him go a couple years ago.
Ellsbury is 10-for-25 against Boston this year, and has hit safely in each of the five games he has played in.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
The Yankees could get to Rodriguez in this game, especially if Boston's defense is shoddy without both Napoli and the injured Dustin Pedroia out there.
Nova isn't a man we have a ton of confidence in, and it's tough to back an abused New York bullpen at the moment.
However, Girardi knows that working the count can get Rodriguez out of this game early, and the middle of that Boston bullpen just isn't all that good. Take the Yanks on Saturday, especially at plus odds.
New York 7, Boston 5
The MLB lines for this Saturday contest will be first 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 New York Yankees versus the Boston Red Sox will commence at 7:15 p.m. ET on Saturday, July 11, 2015 at Fenway Park in Boston, MA. The matchup will be televised live on FOX.
