The storied rivalry between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox resumes again on Friday night at Fenway Park, as the teams will face each other for the 2,199th time to open a four-game series. For this occasion, the Red Sox head into their home field as favorites in the MLB series odds.
The Yankees have won 1,187 of the meetings, while the Red Sox have won 997 (with 14 ties, dating back to that time when games were called on account of darkness).
The Red Sox (50-39) sit atop the American League East, having slowly worked their way past the Yankees in the standings. New York (45-41) is in a tie for second with Tampa Bay, with both teams 3 ½ games behind the Red Sox. Thinking about working in some MLB betting this weekend? Check out our series preview.
NY Yankees at Boston MLB Series Analysis & Betting Pick
Just sitting and waiting… pic.twitter.com/n15bVjgstt
— Red Sox (@RedSox) July 13, 2017
Friday, July 14th
When: Friday, 7:10 PM ET; Saturday, 4:05 p.m. ET; Sunday Game 1, 1:05 p.m. ET; Sunday Game 2, 8:05 p.m. ET Where: Fenway Park, Boston TV: MLB Network (Friday), Fox Sports 1 (Saturday), TBS (Sunday Game 1), ESPN (Sunday Game 2) Stream: MLB.tv Radio: WFAN 660 (NY), WCEC 1490 AM (Boston) MLB Series Odds: Boston -131 Pitching Matchup: Undecided (NYY) vs Drew Pomeranz (9-4, 3.60 ERA) (BOS) These four games give the Yankees a terrific chance to open the second half of the season by closing the gap against the Red Sox. They are also the first four games of an 11-game road swing that heads out to Minnesota and then to Seattle. Despite the fact that Boston leads the division, New York has won four of the first five meetings between the two teams this season. Clint Frazier, who the Yankees called up on July 1, has already drawn blood against Boston, slamming a walk-off home run in the Yankees’ win over Boston on July 8. The Yankees will also get Matt Holliday (viral infection) back from the series, and Starlin Castro (right hamstring strain) could return over the weekend, if not on Friday. New York has not revealed any of their starting pitchers for the weekend series as of this writing. Given some of the struggles (and injuries) that their rotation started to suffer as the team entered June and July, it’s not a surprise that Joe Girardi would want to play his cards close to the vest. If New York wins, it will be thanks to their offense, as the Red Sox have the better pitching staff right now. Drew Pomeranz pitches for Boston, and he has posted a 3-0 record and a 1.82 ERA in his last five starts. In six career outings against New York, he is 2-1 with a 2.40 ERA. Give me the Red Sox in the opener.Saturday, July 15th
When: Saturday, 4:05 p.m. ET; Where: Fenway Park, Boston TV: MLB Network (Friday), Fox Sports 1 (Saturday), TBS (Sunday Game 1), ESPN (Sunday Game 2) Stream: MLB.tv Radio: WFAN 660 (NY), WCEC 1490 AM (Boston) MLB Series Odds: TBA Pitching Matchup: Undecided (NYY) vs Chris Sale (11-4, 2.75 ERA) (BOS) Boston’s Chris Sale went into the All-Star break with 178 strikeouts, the most for any pitcher at the break in 15 years, since Curt Schilling back in 2002. Sale has been even better at home, notching a 6-1 record with a 2.34 ERA, limiting opponents to a .187 average at the plate. The Red Sox offense showed no signs of slowing down going into the break. There were some pitching snafus, such as that 8-4 loss to Texas the Wednesday before the break, but overall the Red Sox were hitting the ball squarely. Given that New York doesn’t really have a starter at Sale’s level right now, I like Boston to take the second game in this series as well.
Sunday, July 16th
Game 1
When: 1:05 p.m. ET; Game 2, 8:05 p.m. ET Where: Fenway Park, Boston TV: MLB Network (Friday), Fox Sports 1 (Saturday), TBS (Sunday Game 1), ESPN (Sunday Game 2) Stream: MLB.tv Radio: WFAN 660 (NY), WCEC 1490 AM (Boston) MLB Series Odds: TBA Pitching Matchup: Undecided (NYY) vs Rick Porcello (4-11, 4.75 ERA) (BOS) Don’t let that 4-11 record fool you. Rick Porcello’s been pitching well lately. On the Saturday before the All-Star break, he scattered six hits and permitted just one run as the Boston offense took the day off in a 1-0 complete-game loss at Tampa Bay. He also pitched well in Texas two Mondays ago, leaving after five innings with a 5-2 lead only to see the Rangers tie the game against the Boston bullpen. His sinker is dropping, a welcome change from earlier in the season. However, he’s not pitching at the same level as Pomeranz and Sale, and the Yankee offense is not going to stay dormant all weekend. I like the Yankees to win the opener of the doubleheader.Game 2
When: 8:05 p.m. ET Where: Fenway Park, Boston TV: MLB Network (Friday), Fox Sports 1 (Saturday), TBS (Sunday Game 1), ESPN (Sunday Game 2) Stream: MLB.tv Radio: WFAN 660 (NY), WCEC 1490 AM (Boston) MLB Series Odds: TBA Pitching Matchup: Undecided (NYY) vs David Price (4-2, 3.91 ERA) (BOS) The Red Sox brought in David Price to give them an ace-level arm, but he has not pitched well historically at Fenway Park, and the Yankees in particular have given him fits. In six career starts against the Pinstripes, Price has a 1-4 record and an 8.31 ERA — definitely not the sort of performance the Red Sox wanted out of that gargantuan contract. So despite his solid record this year, I don’t see Price beating the Yankees on national television in prime time — so give me the Yankees to sweep the doubleheader and split the series.Latest MLB Series Trends
- Yankees are 1-4 ATS in the last 5 games
- Red Sox are 1-4 ATS in the last 5 games
- Yankees are 1-4 SU in the last 5 games
- Red Sox are 1-4 SU in the last 5 games
- The total went OVER in 4 of NY Yankees’s last 5 games on the road
- The total went UNDER in 5 of Boston’s last 6 games at home
