When you are last in your division, there is little comfort in knowing that you do not have the worst record in baseball. Some teams feel the need to beat up on those that have a poorer record, if only to show that they have not quite sunk to the lowest depths just yet. That is what the Boston Red Sox will be trying to do when they welcome in the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday, where they are listed as -193 online betting favorites.
Sneak Peek at the Online MLB Betting Pick on Philadelphia at Boston & Game Info
Date: Saturday, September 05, 2015 Time: 4:05PM Venue: Fenway Park Opening Line: Boston -193
Rival scout on Phils: “They’ve done a great job refilling the system quickly.” @JSalisburyCSN: http://t.co/vQRM1coG6d pic.twitter.com/PJi2W4hRfs
— Comcast SportsNet (@CSNPhilly) September 3, 2015
The Red Sox (61-72) were actually going through a pretty decent run of form before running into the New York Yankees. They managed to grab the first of the 3 games from their bitter rivals, but ended up losing the final 2, which means they will be looking to break out of a losing skid in this series.
They are going to have to do it without the best pitcher on their staff, as Clay Buchholz has been officially shut down for the season. He will likely be replaced by a younger arm, which will give Boston the chance to assess what sort of talent they have in their minor league system. With a new president and GM on board, the Red Sox are about to go through a period of change, so it’s going to be interesting to see who stays and who goes. Wade Miley (10-10, 4.57 ERA) will get the start for Boston.
While the Red Sox have shown some signs of life coming down the stretch, the same cannot really be said for the Philadelphia Phillies (53-81). They are just 3-7 in their last 10 games, although that did include a series win over the San Diego Padres. They also had 6 losses against the New York Mets during that stretch, which is no real surprise when you consider that they have only managed a single win against their AL East rivals this season. The final few weeks of the season feature a mixture of series against playoff challengers and bottom feeders, with the majority of games coming against the latter. The Phillies have the opportunity to go out with a bang, but I get the feeling it will be more of a whimper. Alec Asher (0-1, 6.35 ERA) will make just his second start of the season for Philly.
