ESPN gets the national television rights for Game 2 of the series pinning the Boston Red Sox against the New York Yankees in the Big Apple. On the mound in Game 2 of this three-game series, the Yankees have a pitcher who has been cruising along much like the rest of the team in Masahiro Tanaka whereas the Sox will hope that David Price can rediscover his command after slumping through his last five starts.
First pitch for the game between the Yankees and Red Sox is scheduled for Wednesday, May 9, 2018, at 7:05 p.m. ET at Yankee Stadium. The matchup will be shown on ESPN.
You can bet on MLB odds at BookMaker.eu every day of the season.
Odds Analysis
In general, these are two evenly matched team. The Red Sox took two of three form New York at home, including a blowout win, but this series is in the Bronx, passing the home field edge to the Yankees.
New York is also scorching hot, winning with offense, starting pitching and bullpen work. They’ve won 15 of 16 and show no signs of slowing down. In fact, they’ve only got ways to play even better.
The Yankee bullpen is a critical part of the team and while Aroldis Chapman and Chad Green are pitching well, there’s room for growth from Dellin Betances amongst others.
The Sox have a good pen, too, and are neck and neck with New York in bullpen ERA, much as they are neck-and-neck in runs scored on the offensive side.
The Yankee-Red Sox rivalry is alive and well. These two teams battled for the division crown last year and 2018 figures to be an even closer battle. These two teams will be fighting for first all summer. Can the Yankees take a share of the division lead this series by closing the one-game gap?
Probable Pitchers
Masahiro Tanaka and David Price find themselves in basically the opposite situation heading into Wednesday night.
For the Yankee hurler, he’s overcome a few bad starts—including one against the Red Sox—to put up three straight quality performances. New York has won all three. In his most recent start, he went six frames, allowing three runs against Houston.
On the other side, Price was dealing out of the gate, but has slumped in his last five starts, pitching to an 8.22 ERA and 1-4 record. He allowed nine runs without getting out of the fourth against the Rangers last time out.
The Rangers are a team, like the Yankees, built around power. Price did keep Texas in the ballpark, but that wasn’t nearly enough as the Rangers hit him hard anyway.
Overall, Price is 2-4 with a 5.11 ERA and 1.405 WHIP in his seven starts. With just 37 innings pitched, he’s only averaging a little over five innings a start, putting plenty of pressure on the bullpen.
Over his career, Price has traditionally been one to go much deeper in the game. While his innings average will likely go up as the season progresses, it may not happen against New York on Wednesday.
The former Cy Young Award winner hasn’t exactly been a career ace when facing the Yankees. He’s 15-12 overall in 39 games against them, having spent the bulk of his career in the AL East. The 15 wins are impressive, but the 4.67 ERA and 1.385 WHIP leave plenty to be desired.
As for Tanaka, he’s been shaky the last couple years. He finished 2017 at 13-12 with a 4.74, his worst season since coming to the Majors. Despite that, he looked good in the postseason, giving hope for 2018. So far this year, he’s 4-2 with a 4.39 ERA in seven starts.
Those overall numbers are far from impressive, but his 1.000 WHIP and 3.81 FIP show he’s been a bit unlucky.
Tanaka is going nearly six innings a start and has looked good in five of his seven starts, with five quality starts.
Amongst the two exceptions are a game against the Marlins and one against this same Red Sox team. He allowed six runs in five innings when facing the Sox in Boston on April 11. Over his career, however, he’s a respectable 8-4 with a 4.04 ERA and 1.068 WHIP against Boston spread over 93.2 innings.
Live Betting
Tanaka’s pitched well against the Red Sox in his career, but he’s struggled against the newest Sox slugger: J.D. Martinez.
Martinez is 7-for-12 against Tanaka, delivering three homers, two doubles and seven RBIs. He’s been, by far, the most prolific hitter against the Yankees’ Game 2 starter.
While Martinez is the guy you want against Tanaka, if the game is on the line late, it’s Mookie Betts, Jackie Bradley Jr., or Rafael Devers you want up against Aroldis Chapman.
Betts is 3-for-7 with a pair of walks against Chapman while Devers has a homer and two hits in four at bats and Bradley has two hits and a walk in four plate appearances.
On the flip side, Didi Gregorius is 12-for-28 against Price with a bomb, but the active roster as a whole is batting .325 cumulatively against Price with a .912 OPS. Gary Sanchez is 6-for-12 against him with five home runs.
Against Kimbrel, should Boston make it to the ninth with the lead, the team is a cumulative .073 against him with only three hits and a single extra base knock, a double from Gregorius.
Speaking of Gregorius, he continues to rake in the middle of the order, providing a quality power bat in the middle to break up the righties in Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez. The lefty bat would typically be a bad thing against a southpaw like Price, but as we’ve seen, Gregorius owns Price.
Generally speaking, these are a pair of offenses that can absolutely rake. The Yankees have more power, but the Red Sox have better bat-to-ball skills. They’re ranked one and two in baseball in runs scored and it’s not very hard to see why based on the lineups.
Betts is rocking it for the Sox with a 225 OPS+ while Mitch Moreland, Xander Bogaerts, Rafael Devers, Martinez and Hanley Ramirez are all providing above average production.
In New York, Stanton is starting to heat up while Judge and Gregorius are already raking. Sanchez has provided pop while his OBP struggles. Meanwhile, rookie fill ins in Gleybar Torres and Miguel Andujar are more than proving they belong in the Majors right now.
MLB Pick
Tanaka is trending better right now and he’s shown over the last year and a half that he’s a much better pitcher at home than on the road. With this game in the Bronx, that’s another point in the Yankees’ favor.
Both Boston and New York are playing great baseball, but it’s hard to deny their roll. Of course, that’s got to give at some point, just don’t look for that point to be on Wednesday.
With Price struggling, Tanaka dealing and the Yankee offense and bullpen both performing up to—or at least closer to—expectations, take the Yankees to win Game 2 of this series at home, grabbing an early lead against Price and cruising to a rather easy victory.
MLB Odds: Yankees 6, Red Sox 3
Load your betting bankroll from your smartphone with BookMaker’s new cashier feature! Depositing and withdrawing funds from your account has never been easier. BookMaker's live betting platform means you always have access to odds and lines to every sporting event. Click here and start wagering today!
