MLB Betting Picks – Boston Red Sox at New York Yankees - July 17, 2021

It’s one of the best rivalries in all of sports with things just picking up a notch when the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees get together. And New York is hoping for better things in the second half of the season after struggling just to stay above .500 heading into the All-Star Break. The Yanks closed the first half with a decent stretch, though a tough loss in Houston on Sunday was hard to swallow. They can’t let that game manifest into a string of poor play since they find themselves already trailing the BoSox in the AL East standings.  Live lines on this game will be available here.

The AL East matchup will air live on FOX at 7:15 p.m. ET from Yankee Stadium. Betting options for every game on the 2021 MLB schedule are available at BookMaker.eu.

Boston Red Sox at New York Yankees
Date and Time: Saturday, July 17, 2021, 7:15 p.m. ET
Location: Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY
Probable Pitchers: Nathan Eovaldi vs. TBD
Opening MLB Odds: Check Back Later
Red Sox at Yankees TV Coverage: ESPN

Odds Analysis

The Red Sox definitely had a good first half matching the AL lead for wins with 55 at the break. Things went so well you could almost ignore what happened in the final week before the All-Star game. The Sox lost a pair of series to the Angels and Phillies of all teams, and dropped four of five. The break came at a good time since things really heat up for the Sox in the second half.

They started play with an 8-game bulge over the Yankees in the division, and while you might think New York is the biggest threat, think again. The lead over Tampa Bay was trimmed to a 1.5 games. The Sox have cashed in against the Yankees this season winning the first six games of the season series while outscoring the Bombers 36-17. Boston’s first 18 games post All-Star break are against AL East foes with another four-game set with the Yankees set for Boston next week.

While the first half of the season was disappointing for the Yankees, they have a chance to make up for it quickly. They have yet to beat Boston this season after winning nine of 10 meetings during the 2020 campaign. And with a pair of four-game sweeps over the next week they could conceivably be in first-place by the end of July. That’s some real positive thinking and I’m not even a Yankees fan. The likelihood of that happening is slim to none, though, considering the holes in the New York lineup.

There were a few positives last week with the Yankees winning five of six games before having a meltdown in Houston on Sunday. Needing just three outs to finish off a sweep of the Astros and have some real momentum at the break, things unraveled. Houston staged a six-run ninth inning comeback to snatch an 8-7 win. The struggles of closer Aroldis Chapman were evident. He didn’t even get into the game to try and squelch the momentum. While they ended the first half with a 46-43 record, the Yankees were down over 1000 units on the moneyline.

Probable Pitchers

Nathan Eovaldi (9-5, 3.66 ERA) is scheduled to take the bump for the third time this season against his former team looking to add to his club-high win total. Eovaldi is 2-0 against the Bombers this season giving up just one run in each of his starts. He is coming off one of his worst outings of the campaign when he allowed five runs and nine hits in 5.2 innings in a 5-3 loss to the Angeles. That performance came on July 6 giving the righty plenty of time to stew over his lack of command.

A consistently good performer this season, Eovaldi has held opponents to two earned runs or fewer in 11 of his 18 starts. Better control and more velocity on his fastball have allowed him to pitch deeper into games. He’s completed at least six innings in eight starts including twice against the Yankees when he fanned 13 batters without issuing a walk.

I’m not sure what the Yankees are going to do on Saturday since they haven’t announced their rotation for the second half. I’m guessing Gerrit Cole gets the nod in the first game back leaving Jameson Taillon as a possible starter on Saturday. Aaron Boone has had to mix and match his rotation with Nestor Cortez Jr. pitching admirably in a few spot starts. Cortez started the last two times he appeared giving up just one run over 8.0 innings.

Cortez has baffled opponents this season giving up just three earned runs over 25.2 innings for a sparkling 1.05 ERA. He didn’t go the required number of innings to get a win last time out blanking Houston on two hits over 4.2 innings of an eventual 4-0 Yankees win.

Bet Red Sox at Yankees at BookMaker.eu

The Red Sox boast one of the top offensive clubs in the majors and the Yankees showed signs over a few weeks leading up to the All-Star game of breaking out of a season long slump. Though Eovaldi has been sharp this season, there is plenty of value on the OVER. And it’s hard to trust the Yankees staff when Cole isn’t on the bump.

MLB Score Prediction: Red Sox 7, Yankees 5

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- Phil Simon, Gambling911.com