Written By: The Persian
The Boston Red Sox and the Toronto Blue Jays tangle in the first of a four-game series starting Monday night inside historic and famed Fenway Park in Boston, MA. They toss out the first pitch at 7:10 pm. This should be a fun battle between AL East foes. Bookmaker has installed the Red Sox - 159 on the ML.
The Red Sox have hung around this season. They do not blow you away with a great lineup or unhittable starting rotation, but they play hard and have been able to stay within striking distance of the American League Wild Card standings.
Boston has not had much success within the division, but they have an opportunity to damage the Blue Jays' playoff chances. They will need to score some runs in this series and get some solid pitching from their starters and middle relief.
They are led on offense by left fielder Tyler O'Neill, who has clubbed 23 home runs this season to go along with driving in 47 runs in his first season with Boston.
They will hand the ball over to starter and veteran hurler 31-year-old Nick Pivetta, who sports a 5-8 mark and an ERA of 4.70. Their team ERA is 4.19, and they are hitting .260 on the season as a club.
The Blue Jays have regressed and have not had a good season. They were slow getting out the gate and they hit a nasty skid midway through the season and never recovered.
However, they have shown some fight, and they have won four straight games, five of six, and six of eight overall. They are still buried in the basement of the division, and they have no shot at winning it at this point.
They must try to play the spoil roll against their rival, the Red Sox, and look for their hitters to be aggressive at the plate. On offense, they have several sluggers, including.
Vladamir Guerrero Jr. has cranked out a team-high 27 home runs. He has also driven in 85 runs and is batting a monster .320 on the season to lead the team. They collectively bat .240 on the season and must get the bats going in this one. They will send Jose Berrios, who has a mark of 12-9, to go along with an ERA of 3.79. Look for Berrios to try to get into a groove early on.
The Red Sox are 2-3 in their last five games and 2-3 in their last five games against the number. The totals have gone over in three out of their last five games and 30 out of their last 63 games at home. The Blue Jays are 4-1 in their last five games and 3-2 in their last five games against the number. They are a solid 38-26 in their road games against the spread.
