Reds vs. Red Sox Odds & Betting Predictions - July 2, 2025

This is the second game for both teams today, but neither bullpen got too stretched in the first game. The Red Sox are going to open with lefty Brennan Bernardino, who has been fantastic as an opener in his career (1.42 ERA). It makes a lot of sense too, as he can help combat the lefties TJ Friedl and Elly De la Cruz (who has been a worse hitter this season facing lefties). Behind him is potential bulk pitcher Cooper Criswell, who has a 6.00 ERA this season but a 3.48 xERA, so he hasn't been as bad as his ERA suggests. On the other side, we're getting Nick Martinez. Martinez has a 4.12 ERA, and that's matched with a 4.12 xERA. It's a scary matchup, but when digging into the numbers, the Red Sox have essentially been a league-average offense this season against right-handed pitching (team wRC+ of 99). They do rank among the top 10 in ISO, so there's power, but Martinez has generally been the type of pitcher who has limited the long ball (1.24 HR/9 this season but has been under 1 HR/9 over the past two seasons). Let's back the pitching over the F5.