Red Sox vs. Phillies Prediction
Will the Phillies cover on the runline tonight when they host the Red Sox at 7:05PM ET?
According to oddsmakers from online sports book Bovada.lv, the Red Sox are -128 money line favorites versus the Phillies, who have odds of +118 to pull off the upset tonight at home. With Brian Johnson set to face Jeremy Hellickson in the pitching matchup, the over/under currently sits at 9.5 runs.
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From Rotoworld: Johnson labored through a tough outing on Friday night, allowing eight hits and three runs over 4 1/3 innings in a no-decision against the Tigers. He walked one and struck out two. Johnson tossed a shutout in his last start for the Red Sox but wasn’t as successful on Friday night. He would have been on the hook for a loss if not for a furious eighth-inning comeback led by Mitch Moreland and Jackie Bradley Jr. Johnson served up a pair of homers, though luckily both were of the solo variety. The light-throwing left-hander figures to stick around for a while with Eduardo Rodriguez on the disabled list.
Hellickson wasn’t at his best on Sunday, giving up five runs (three earned) on four hits over 5 1/3 innings in a no-decision against the Giants. Hellickson walked four and struck out four in the ballgame. He was chased from the game after allowing a two-run homer to Brandon Crawford in the sixth. Even with the uneven performance though, he left in line for the victory but the Phillies’ bullpen was unable to protect it for him. The right-hander will carry a 4.50 ERA and 1.20 WHIP into Friday’s start against the Cardinals in St. Louis.
Bet Tonight’s Red Sox vs. Phillies Game
OUR PREDICTION: What the hell do you do with this matchup? Johnson pitched well two starts ago but struggled in his last outing. Hellickson pitched okay against a bad Giants offense, but owns a 4.50 ERA on the year. The Phillies are one of the worst teams in baseball but the Red Sox didn’t blow out Philly at Fenway the last two nights. The +118 odds on the Phillies don’t entice me enough to take a flier on the underdog but I think there’s a ton of value in nabbing Philly on the runline. Despite their 21-42 record, the Phils have played hard of late and they play with a youthful exuberance. They may not win tonight, but I’m willing to bet they keep things close in a coin-flip matchup.
WEDNESDAY MLB PREDICTION: PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES +1.5 (-135)