The New York Yankees keep grinding out victories and enter their weekend tilt with the Boston Red Sox on a high note. Thursday saw the Bronx Bombers win their three-game series with the Cleveland Guardians, thanks to Cody Bellinger’s home run and a great outing from Max Fried.
Now, it’s time for the age-old AL East rivalry as the Sawx come to town. It’s been a rough go for Boston, who are 3-7 in their last ten and have dropped to fourth in the AL East. They trail New York by nine games, not exactly a meaningful three-game weekend.
But even so, it’s Yankees-Red Sox. No matter how good or bad a season is for either team, they always play each other harder. Not to mention Boston skipper Alex Cora isn’t happy and would love nothing more than to upset the rival Yankees.
Can Boston take that first step by stealing a win on Friday?
Time: 7:05 p.m. ET
TV: YES
Betting Lines: Yankees -1.5 (-190), O/U 8.5
Key Storyline: Is the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry on standby? This is Yankees-Red Sox, but the rivalry is nowhere close to what it was not even a decade ago. The Yankees won 100 games in 2018…and finished second in the AL East behind the eventual champion Red Sox and their 108 wins. Go back even further, and any Boston-New York regular season games between 2003 and 2012 felt like Game 7.
Not so much this time around. The Yankees are the defending American League champions while the Red Sox are treading water. Boston can’t seem to decide if it’s all in on youth like Kristian Campbell and Marcelo Mayer and spending less, or investing in big names like Alex Bregman.
Add an injury avalanche, and things haven’t been much fun at Fenway as of late.
Pitching Matchup: Walker Buehler (4-3, 4.44 ERA) vs. Will Warren (3-3, 5.19 ERA). This matchup should motivate the Yankees for two reasons. First, Warren was shelled by the Dodgers in his last start on May 31, giving up seven runs in 1.1 innings. He’ll want to shake that off and get back to his high-whiff ways on his home mound.
But let’s shift to Walker Buehler. He was the man on the mound for the last out of the World Series-clinching Game 5 back in October, and then signed a one-year deal with Boston in free agency. Finishing Game 5 and starting Game 3 mark his only two appearances against the Yankees.
So what does this mean for the Bombers when they face Boston Buehler? Well, he’s a soft contact specialist who throws seven pitches, letting his fastball and cutter lead the way with a sinker and knuckle-curve on the side, among others. He’s also prone to giving up home runs and mildly overachieving. New York’s plan should be waiting for balls up in the zone and hoping the short porch helps.
X-Factor: Paul Goldschmidt. The 37-year-old future Hall-of-Famer has had a rejuvenating season in the Bronx, with his .323 batting average ranking fifth in the AL. However, Goldschmidt has slumped in his last four games, going 1 for his last 16. He’s a .290 career hitter versus Boston, even in a relatively small 15-game sample.
The man clearly has something left in the tank. Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger have been playing well, but a lineup needs more than two reliable bats. Goldschmidt getting back on track in the Red Sox series would keep the Yankees’ foot on the gas with the dog days of summer on the horizon.
Prediction: This might not be the prettiest game, if only because Will Warren still has some rookie growing pains. However, for those browsing New York sports betting apps, picking the Yankees money or run line should be a winner here. Given the rivalry’s unpredictability, don’t touch the over/under.
But other than that, rolling Yankees and hitting parlays for Judge and Jarren Duran should net some winnings. As to the score, the Yankees take the opener. Yankees 7, Red Sox 3
