MLB Betting Odds: New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox
July 5, 2012 · Jeff Grant · Jump to comments
Article Source: Bleacher Report - New York Yankees
The New York Yankees (49-32) and Boston Red Sox (42-40) will open up a four-game American League East series on Friday night at Fenway Park in Boston, with the first pitch scheduled for 7:10 ET.
The Red Sox were sent out as minus-125 home favorites in the MLB betting odds (provided by SBR Forum), while the total stands at 9.5, but is facing downward pressure in the market.
New York outscored Boston by a 21-11 margin in winning the first two games of the season series at this ballpark from April 20-21, but has still lost 18 of its last 32 road games in this heated rivalry. Total players will find that the “over” is 16-7 in the last 23 meetings in Beantown.
Hiroki Kuroda (8-7, 3.17 ERA) will be making his first start against the Red Sox as a member of the Bronx Bombers, recording a 2-0 road loss on June 20, 2010, during time with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He allowed two runs and six hits over seven frames in that effort.
The right-hander has been outstanding over his last seven starts, posting a 5-1 record and 1.65 ERA, issuing just 11 walks and collecting 46 strikeouts in 49 combined innings.
Sports bettors will focus in on the Yankees winning eight of their nine games following an off day in 2012, while climbing above the number in six of those contests.
Boston returns home after a dismal 2-5 road trip, which included getting swept in a three-game set by the Oakland Athletics to finish things out, scoring just five combined runs in that span. The Red Sox have a good chance of breaking out of their recent slump, ranking seventh in the majors with a .278 batting average at home.
Josh Beckett (4-7, 4.06 ERA) will be looking to register his first win since May 20, after he failed to earn a decision in a 3-2 road setback to the Seattle Mariners his last time out. The right-hander has received just seven runs of support over his last four outings.
In 27 lifetime starts against the Yankees, Beckett has compiled a 14-7 record and 5.36 ERA, but posted a perfect 4-0 mark and 1.85 ERA in five games a year ago. The 32-year-old was the only major league thrower to win more than two games against the Bronx Bombers in 2011.
The Red Sox are 6-0 in his last six starts in this series, while the “over” is on a 7-3 run.
Weather forecasts suggest game-time temperatures in the high-70s under mostly cloudy skies, with a slight 5-10 mph breeze from the south.
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