Red Sox vs Yankees MLB | Lone Game Thursday Out Of Break

The second half of the 2021 MLB regular season begins Thursday with one game getting the spotlight to itself: Red Sox at the disappointing Yankees. As of this writing, it’s not clear whom New York will start on the mound and that would affect the MLB odds.

How to Bet Red Sox at Yankees MLB Odds & TV Info

When: Thursday, 7 PM ET
Where: Yankee Stadium
Probable pitchers (away/home): Eduardo Rodriguez/TBA
TV: ESPN
Stream/gameday audio: ESPN app
Opening MLB Lines: TBA (depend on Yankees pitcher)

Why Bet on Boston?

The Red Sox come out of the break with a 55-36 record and leading the AL East Division by 1.5 games over Tampa Bay. Perhaps the break came at a good time, though, as Boston did drop its final two games and four of five. Since losing their first 3 games of the season to the Orioles, the Red Sox have not been swept in a series of any length. The Sox will play 24 games in 25 days out of the break.

Utilityman Marwin Gonzalez was pulled from Sunday’s game after aggravating an existing hamstring issue. ed Sox manager Alex Cora called the injury “not great” after the game, acknowledging a trip to the injured list would likely be necessary this time around for Gonzalez. The team won’t have to make a decision on Gonzalez or make a call-up until Thursday.

“It was something that we felt that he was good to go, and he felt it right away,” Cora said. “This one looks like it’s gonna be an IL thing.”

All-Star DH J.D. Martinez extended his on-base streak to 28 consecutive games on Sunday in the Red Sox’s loss to the Phillies. Martinez doubled against righty Hector Neris in the fifth inning to keep his streak alive. It’s the longest on-base streak in the major leagues this season. The 33-year-old has a .299/.371/.556 triple-slash line, 60 runs scored, 18 home runs and 62 RBI across 367 plate appearances.

It’s lefty Eduardo Rodriguez (6-5, 5.52 ERA) on the mound here. Rodriguez allowed four runs on nine hits over five innings last Wednesday and took the loss as the Red Sox fell to the Angels. The 28-year-old surrendered two home runs, one each to Shohei Ohtani and Jared Walsh. Rodriguez did strikeout out five during the game thanks to a 53 percent whiff rate from this four-seam fastball and a 30 percent whiff rate overall.

Rodriguez has thrown 5.0+ innings and allowed 0 BB in 11 of 17 starts. He has 34 SO and 4 BB over his last 4 starts. He ranks 7th in the AL and 5th among MLB lefties in SO/9.0 IP (10.44). He also ranks 5th in the AL in SO/BB (4.95).

The Red Sox are 56-18 (.756) in his starts since the beginning of 2018. He’s 1-0 with a 3.97 ERA in two starts this year vs. the Yankees.

Why Bet on New York?

The Yankees are fourth in the AL East with a 46-43 record and would miss the playoffs as things stand. They had a crushing loss on Sunday, blowing a 7-2 lead in the bottom of the ninth inning in Houston and losing 8-7. Big league teams are now 493-2 this season with a lead of at least four runs going to the ninth — the Yankees also wasted an 8-4 advantage in an 11-8 defeat to the Los Angeles Angels on June 30, making this the first season the Yankees twice lost games when leading by four runs entering the ninth.

While the Yankees are down a few starting pitchers due to injury, setup man Zack Britton (hamstring) is expected to be activated from the 10-day injured list on Thursday. Britton sustained a Grade 1 left hamstring strain on June 25, but has thrown a pair of live batting practice sessions recently. Britton, a significant piece of New York’s run prevention plan, has just five appearances on the season.

Normally, this would be Gerrit Cole’s turn in the rotation and he’s the AL Cy Young favorite. He was spectacular on Saturday in his final start before the break as he threw a complete-game, three-hit shutout in Houston with 12 strikeouts vs. his former club. Cole (9-4, 2.68 ERA) threw a whopping 129 pitches in the game, refusing to entrust his one-run lead to the Yankees bullpen. When manager Aaron Boone came out to the mound, Cole stood his ground, shouting and pleading his case to remain in the game. He was just the fifth Yankees pitcher in the last 39 seasons (since 1983) to toss a complete-game shutout in a 1-0 win.

Because Cole threw so many pitches Saturday, a career high, he declined to participate in the All-Star Game and the Yankees probably will want to rest him an extra day or two so it’s probably not going to be him Thursday.

There’s a decent chance it’s lefty Jordan Montgomery (3-4, 4.16) in this one. Montgomery struck out nine, but gave up three runs over 6 2/3 innings last Thursday in a loss to the Mariners. Montgomery gave up a solo homer to center in the first, and a two-run homer in the second to Dylan Moore. After that, he settled down.

Montgomery lost his lone start vs. Boston in 2021, allowing three runs and eight hits over six innings on June 26 at Fenway Park.