The Boston Red Sox host the Athletics on Saturday, Aug. 8. First pitch from Fenway Park is scheduled for 4:10 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on NBCS-CA.
The Red Sox are favored by -215 on the moneyline and by -1.5 on the run line. The Athletics are +180 on the moneyline and +1.5 on the run line. The total is set at 9.5 runs.
Find my MLB picks and Athletics vs Red Sox prediction below, as well as probable pitchers, weather report, and more.
Athletics vs Red Sox Prediction
- Athletics vs Red Sox Pick: Red Sox -1.5 (play to -130)
My Athletics vs Red Sox best bet is Red Sox -1.5 (play to -130). Make sure to find the best odds by checking our live MLB odds page.
Athletics vs Red Sox Odds
| Athletics Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -102 | 9.5 102o / -124u | +180 |
| Red Sox Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 -118 | 9.5 102o / -124u | -215 |
- Athletics vs Red Sox moneyline: Athletics +180, Red Sox -215
- Athletics vs Red Sox over/under: 9.5 (+102o / -124u)
- Athletics vs Red Sox spread: A's +1.5 (-102), Red Sox -1.5 (-118)
Athletics vs Red Sox Probable Pitchers
| LHP Gage Jump (A's) | Stat | LHP Jake Bennett (BOS) |
|---|---|---|
| 4-7 | W-L | 7-4 |
| 1.1 | fWAR (FanGraphs) | 1.7 |
| 4.59 / 4.27 | ERA / xERA | 2.90 / 3.02 |
| 3.80 / 3.99 | FIP / xFIP | 3.24 / 3.86 |
| 14.6% | K-BB% | 13.2% |
| 41.1% | GB% | 47.6% |
| .345 | BABIP | .257 |
| 107 | Stuff+ | 92 |
| 98 | Location+ | 113 |
Athletics vs Red Sox MLB Betting Preview
Athletics Betting Preview
The Athletics will look to avenge their series loss to the Red Sox from two weeks ago. This time, they're in Boston, one of the toughest road environments in MLB.
On the mound for the Athletics is Gage Jump, who is one of the more exciting young arms in their organization. Jump is pitching to a 4.59 ERA, but his 4.27 xERA and 3.80 FIP should excite people about a possible turnaround.
The ball really jumps out of Gage's hand. He averages 96.3 mph on his fastball, leading to a strong 107 Stuff+.
There's some good and bad that comes with Jump's electric stuff: he can rack up the Ks, boasting a 9.16 K/9. On the flip side, his 4.19 BB/9 is less than ideal.
Jump has really struggled of late, though.
Since the Dodgers tagged him for five runs on June 29, he has a 7.47 ERA with a 5.75 xERA and 5.68 FIP in seven outings. His BB/9 has skyrocketed to 6.09 in that time, with his HR/9 jumping to 2.01. I still buy stock in Jump long-term, but he needs to throw strikes, and he hasn't done that enough.
Offensively, the Athletics are really missing Shea Langeliers and Nick Kurtz.
With the two best players in the A's lineup out, scoring has been an arduous task — since July 10, they rank 21st in MLB with an 86 wRC+. They have struggled in two key areas: ranking 27th with a 6.5% walk rate and 24th with 21 home runs.
Not having Kurtz tanks their walk rate, and not having Langeliers tanks their power.
Boston Red Sox Betting Preview
How about this run the Red Sox are on?
Entering Friday, the Red Sox are 31-5 in their last 36 games. The oddsmakers respect Boston's torrid stretch, as it enters as -230 favorites in Saturday's showdown.
Opposing Jump is another rookie southpaw, Jake Bennett.
Bennett has made a huge impression as a rookie, posting a 2.90 ERA with a 3.02 xERA and 3.24 FIP. While Jump has the better raw stuff, Bennett is legit and here to stay, as his underlying stats tell that this is no fluke.
Bennett excels at missing barrels, ranking in the 86th percentile in barrel rate. Pair that with Bennett's 49.8% ground-ball rate, and you can expect a steady diet of quick outs from him.
The biggest reason for the Red Sox resurgence is their offense going from one of the league's worst to one of the league's best. Since the start of July, Boston is fourth in MLB in wRC+ (117) and in home runs (44).
It also ranks top 10 in walk rate while sporting just a 21% strikeout rate. So, not only are the Red Sox hitting the long ball, but they're working pitchers and not beating themselves.
Three Red Sox hitters have 5+ homers in their last 30 games: Wilyer Abreu has 10, Ceddane Rafaela has eight, and Willson Contreras has five. That trio has been terrific and is carrying this Red Sox team to the hottest stretch in franchise history.
Athletics vs Red Sox Pick, Betting Analysis
Not only has Boston won 31 of 36 games, but it has also won 22 of them by 2+ runs. Given the injured state of this Athletics roster and Boston's dominance, I see them winning by 2+ runs again.
Give me the Red Sox to crush the Athletics on Saturday and bring home the -1.5 run line bet.
Pick: Red Sox -1.5 (play to -130)
