The Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles will play their second of a three-game series on Saturday afternoon in Baltimore. With that said, it’s a good time to check out our MLB odds series, which includes a Red Sox-Orioles prediction and pick we have laid out below.
The Boston Red Sox find themselves in the AL East cellar with a 59-61 record. Nothing seems to be going right for this club, between injuries, and underperforming superstars. Chris Sale is out for the season, leaving the team without a bonafide ace. The playoffs seem more distant than ever now.
Baltimore, at 62-57, is in fourth place in the AL East, just one and a half games out of the final AL Wild Card spot. Even after trading two of their most valuable players at the trade deadline, Baltimore has played well enough to stick around in playoff contention.
Here are the Red Sox-Orioles MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Red Sox-Orioles Odds
Boston Red Sox: -1.5 (+128)
Baltimore Orioles: +1.5 (-154)
Over: 8.5 (-120)
Under: 8.5 (-102)
Why The Red Sox Could Cover The Spread
Last weekend, Michael Wacha returned from his shoulder injury to dominate the Yankees on Sunday night baseball, tossing seven shutout innings. Wacha will start in this one, bringing with him a 7-1 record and 2.44 ERA in his 14 starts. Wacha’s dastardly changeup deserves the credit here, as batters have hit just .161 against it, striking out 34 times. Unfortunately, Boston’s bullpen has been brutal, with the fifth-worst ERA in baseball. John Schreiber, a waiver wire pickup, has been dominant this season, with a 1.89 ERA in 45 appearances. Garrett Whitlock has pitched to a 1.32 ERA in his appearances out of the bullpen, striking out 29 in 27.1 innings. Closer Tanner Houck is on the injured list but was spectacular in his time as closer.
Rafael Devers leads the offense with 25 home runs and 63 RBI. Devers is hitting .296 and slugging an impressive .561, adding 32 doubles to his home run total. JD Martinez paces the team with 34 doubles, making up for his low nine home runs. Xander Bogaerts leads the team with a .303 batting average, adding 31 doubles and seven stolen bases. Boston leads the league with 272 doubles and ranks seventh with a .254 batting average.
Why The Orioles Could Cover The Spread
Baltimore is one of the most fun teams in the league in 2022. Fan favorite Trey Mancini no longer plays for the team, but switch-hitting slugger Anthony Santander has more than made up for it. Santander has hit 21 home runs and 66 RBI, both totals that lead the team. Impressively, Jorge Mateo and Cedric Mullins have stolen 27 and 25 bases respectively. Mateo has bashed 12 home runs while Mullins has added 11 of his own. Austin Hays is hitting .257 with 11 home runs and is tied for Mullins for the team lead with 28 doubles. Baltimore is sixth in the league with 218 doubles and tenth with 72 stolen bases.
Kyle Bradish, a promising rookie, is this afternoon’s starting pitcher. Bradish has a 6.38 ERA in his 14 starts this season, striking out 67 in 66.1 innings. Bradish’s fastball velocity is above-average, averaging 95 mph, but has been hit at an alarming .358 mark. The majority of Bradish’s fastballs end up towards the middle of the strike zone, which would explain the poor numbers. Thankfully, Baltimore’s bullpen is fantastic. The group ranks fourth in baseball with a 3.15 ERA despite throwing the most innings at 474.1. New closer Felix Bautista, with his triple-digit fastball and disappearing splitter, has pitched to a 1.59 ERA with 67 strikeouts in 51 innings.
Final Red Sox-Orioles Prediction & Pick
The slightest of edges should go to Boston here thanks to Wacha.
Final Red Sox-Orioles Prediction & Pick: Boston -1.5 (+128), over 8.5 (-120)
