The Bombers and Sawx lock horns in the second of a four-game series at Fenway Park in Boston on Friday, July 8, 2022, with the first pitch at 7:10 PM ET, so here’s the best Yankees vs. Red Sox betting pick along with the latest odds update on Betmgm Sportsbook.
Thursday’s opener has been excluded from the analysis. The Yankees searched for their third victory in four games against the Red Sox in 2022.
The Yankees dismantled the Pirates on Wednesday                                    Â
The 59-23 New York Yankees were looking for their second straight win on Thursday night. Back on Wednesday, they hammered the Pirates 16-0 to split a two-game interleague series at PNC Park in Pittsburgh and stop their two-game slide.
The Bombers launched a whopping six home runs in that thrashing of the Bucs. Four guys hit a solo dinger, while Aaron Judge and Aaron Hicks slugged a grand slam apiece. It was Judge’s 30th no-doubter of the season, and the Yankees led the majors in home runs with 139.
Nestor Cortes will take the hill Friday at Fenway Park. The 27-year-old left-hander aims for his second straight win after throwing six innings of a one-run, three-hit ball in a 6-1 road victory over the Cleveland Guardians this past Saturday. Cortes bounced back from a couple of rough outings against Houston and Tampa Bay, improving to 7-3 on the season and lowering his ERA to 2.44.
The Red Sox dropped three straight series            Â
The Boston Red Sox have struggled lately, losing three series in a row and six of their previous nine games. They carried a 45-37 record into Thursday’s encounter with the Yankees, hoping to snap a two-game skid.
The Sawx started this week with a 4-0 home win to the Rays. They’ve lost the next two meetings with Tampa Bay, scoring just five runs in total and yielding 15 in a return. Over the last couple of weeks, the Red Sox have compiled an underwhelming 4.12 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, and .258 opposing batting average.
Michael Wacha was projected to get the nod Friday, but the 31-year-old righty won’t face the Yankees due to an arm injury. The Red Sox are already without Nathan Eovaldi, Chris Sale, Rich Hill, and Garrett Whitlock, so they’ll probably opt for a bullpen day.
Trends:
NY Yankees:
- 7-3 in the last ten games overall
- 8-2 in Nestor Cortes’ last ten starts
Boston:
- 3-6 in the last nine games overall
- 2-8 in the last ten games against the Yankees
New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox Pick
The Yankees are batting only .221 in the last couple of weeks, but they continue to hit homers almost at will. The Red Sox’s bullpen will be in great danger Friday even though it has done a solid job in the last ten days and 38 innings of work, posting a 3.08 ERA, 3.50 FIP, 12.1 K/9, and 5.4 BB/9.
On the other side, the Yankees ‘pen has tossed 26.1 frames in the past ten days, tallying a shiny 1.03 ERA, 2.16 FIP, 9.9 K/9, and 3.4 BB/9. Nestor Cortes will have a tall task, as the Red Sox have a 119 OPS+ against the lefties in 2022 and a .276/.353/.409 triple-slash in the last two weeks and 428 at-bats.
Pick: Take New York Yankees
The Total:
Nestor Cortes has been outstanding for most of the season. But the crafty lefty has to prove his worth against the Red Sox, who have 11 hits, four home runs, and 1.071 OPS in 37 at-bats against him. Both teams have a ton of dangerous weapons in their lineups, so I’m not expecting a low-scoring affair.
Boston has scored four or more runs in each but one of its previous seven outings at home. New York should hit well against the Red Sox’s bullpen and help the over backers. But if you like to follow the betting trends, you should know that the under is 14-5-1 in the previous 20 encounters between the Yankees and Red Sox.
Pick: Go over
