The NY Yankees vs the Boston Red Sox is perhaps the best rivalry in baseball. However, there’s really nothing at stake between the teams this weekend because they are locked into their playoff spots. The Sox are home MLB lines underdogs on Friday but regulars could sit on both teams.
Yankees at Red Sox MLB Lines & Pick
Back-to-Back. pic.twitter.com/P08DNJH0du
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) 27 de septiembre de 2018
- When: Friday, September 28th. 5pm ET
- Where: Fenway Park, Boston
- Probable pitchers (away/home): JA Happ/Rick Porcello
- TV: ESPN
- Live Stream: WatchESPN
- Radio: New York / Boston
- MLB Lines: New York Yankees -117 / Boston Red Sox +107 (Total 9)
Weather Forecast
- Mostly Cloudy: 13°C/56°F
- Humidity: 89%
- Precipitation: 8%
- Cloud Cover: 73%
- Wind: 9 mph N
- Stadium Type: Open
Why Bet on NY Yankees?
The Yankees have clinched their seventh AL Wild Card berth (1995, ’97, 2007, ’10, ’15, ’17-18). It’s their third appearance in the AL Wild Card Game (lost in 2015, won in 2017), matching Pittsburgh (1-2 in NLWCG from 2013-15) for the most appearances by a team in the Wild Card Game.
New York can reach 100 wins if it takes two of three this weekend. The Yanks enter off a 12-1 win at Tampa Bay on Thursday. Miguel Andujar went 2-for-4 and hit a three-run homer. Andujar hit just five homers the first two months, but he’s up to 27 now. He’s an AL Rookie of the Year candidate.
Giancarlo Stanton hit two homers, walked twice and scored three runs. Stanton has 37 dingers to go along with 97 RBI and 101 runs scored. The two-homer game was his fourth of the year. Luke Voit went 3-for-3 with a homer, a double and a walk. Voit is batting .349 with 12 homers and 28 RBI in his last 30 games.
It was an expensive Thursday for big lefty CC Sabathia. Why? Sabathia was ejected from his start against the Rays after hitting Jesus Sucre with a pitch. Sabathia nearly came out of the Yankees’ dugout after teammate Austin Romine was buzzed with a high-and-tight fastball in the top of the sixth inning, and Sabathia hit the first batter he faced in the bottom of the sixth.
Sabathia appeared to grab his crotch while facing the Rays’ dugout before he walked off the field. He would have received a $500,000 incentive bonus had he thrown two more innings to reach 155 for the season. Maybe the Yankees give it to him regardless. Then again, he already has made $250 million or so in his career.
Among the five AL playoff teams, the Yankees have the best record against the other AL postseason qualifiers, having gone 20-16 this season (5-2 vs. Cleveland, 5-2 vs. Houston, 3-3 vs. Oakland, 7-9 vs. Boston). It’s lefty JA Happ (16-6, 3.57) here. Happ gave up one run on five hits and two walks across five innings during Sunday’s 6-3 loss to the Orioles. He struck out seven and did not factor in the decision. Happ allowed just a second-inning home run to Tim Beckham over five innings. The left-hander has won only one of his last four starts, despite giving up just two runs over 23 innings.
Why Bet on Boston?
The Sox can reach 110 wins with a sweep – they come in off a doubleheader split vs. the Orioles on Wednesday. In the Game 2 loss and pitching with the Red Sox down 6-3 in the ninth, Craig Kimbrel was charged with four earned runs after walking three and giving up a hit to the four batters he faced. Kimbrel needed to get some work in after going four days without pitching, but it raised his ERA from 2.21 to 2.79. It’s the first time all year that he’s allowed more than two runs.
The two Boston MVP candidates, JD Martinez, and Mookie Betts sat out Game 2. Martinez hit his 42nd homer of the season in the opener. He’s going to fall just shy of the Triple Crown. Betts went 2-for-2 and picked up his 30th stolen base to join the 30/30 club in the rout of Baltimore in the opener.
Alex Cora’s 107 wins are the 2nd-most ever for an individual in his 1st season as an MLB manager, trailing only Ralph Houk (1961 Yankees, 109-53). Cora trails only Houk for the most victories in a manager’s 1st season with a team, having recently passed Jake Stahl (105; 1912 Red Sox), Dusty Baker (103; 1993 Giants), and Sparky Anderson (102; 1970 Reds). A total of 14 teams since 1900 have won 107+ games, and 11 have won 108+ games. The Red Sox have posted a .600+ win % in every month of the season: April (.760), May (.621), June (.630), July (.760), August (.667), and September (.619).
Boston is expected to start righty Rick Porcello (17-7, 4.33). He will make his final regular-season start against a New York team he might face a week later in the ALDS, but it’s not like there are many secrets left. The righty has faced the Yankees 10 times in the past three seasons. Porcello allowed four runs (three earned) on eight hits and two walks while striking out a season-low one batter over five innings, taking a no-decision against the Indians on Saturday. Porcello was pitching for the first time in a week and didn’t look rusty.
Latest Yankees at Red Sox MLB Betting Trends
- Yankees are 2-5 in the last 7 meetings
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- The total has gone OVER in 6 of Boston’s last 8 games
