Yankees’ ace Gerrit Cole will pitch tonight against the Red Sox. The Yankees are two games back of the Sox in the AL East. The Yanks and Sox are both trailing the Rays for the division lead. Both teams are still in the hunt for a wild card spot.
Nathan Eovaldi will take the hill for the Red Sox. Both pitchers have fantastic numbers. Cole has a 1.03 WHIP and 231 strikeouts in 169.1 innings. Eovaldi has fanned 188 batters in 173.2 innings while posting a 1.17 WHIP and a 3.58 ERA.Â
What do the baseball Gods have in store for tonight? Let’s find out.
Over/Under 9 Runs
The over/under of 9 runs seem quite high considering the quality of these two pitchers. The Red Sox have been hitting the ball well of late. Add in the fact that this is a Friday night game that has playoff implications and the energy level in Fenway Park will be that much higher. However, Cole has the potential to throw a complete game shutout every single time he takes the hill.
Eovaldi allowed two earned runs on two long balls the last time he faced the Yankees. The Yankees have not seen Eovaldi in six weeks so their chances of putting up a crooked number are rather slim. Cole last faced the Red Sox on July 23, when he allowed three earned runs. Cole allowed one earned run to Boston in his prior start against the squad.
All signs are pointing to this game going under 9 runs. However, it will only take one bad inning from either team’s bullpen to send the run total over 9 so tread lightly on this one.
The Moneyline/Run Line
The Yankees are slight favorites tonight as Cole is one of the better pitchers in the league. If you were to wager $100 on the Yankees’ moneyline, it would result in a $83 profit. This is a road game on a Friday night so sailing might not be so smooth for the Yanks.
The Red Sox are 8-2 in their last 10 contests. The Yankees are 7-3 in their prior 10 games. However, the Red Sox have outscored their opponents by an impressive 32 runs in this period of time. The Yankees have outscored opposing squads by merely seven runs during the last 10.
Both teams have more than enough lefthanded power to tally at least a couple runs against these elite righthanded starting pitchers. The Yankees should prevail in this matchup as Cole is that much more likely to go deep into the game, setting up the NY bullpen for success. A small play on the Yankees’ moneyline is worth considering.
