Phillies vs Red Sox Odds, Lines, and Spread – Aug 19

• The Philadelphia Phillies are road favorites over the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday (Aug. 19, 1:35 pm EST)
• Jake Arrieta (1-2, 4.02 ERA) will start for the Phillies, while the Red Sox will counter with Kyle Hart (0-1, 22.50 ERA)
• Read below for a preview and betting prediction for the game

Two teams going in very different directions meet for some afternoon baseball on Wednesday at 1:35 pm EST. The struggling Boston Red Sox host the surging Philadelphia Phillies, looking to avoid yet another loss on their resume. The Red Sox entered play Tuesday losers of eight straight, while Philly came in fresh off a three-game sweep of the New York Mets.

Phillies vs Red Sox Odds

Odds taken Aug. 18th.

To no one’s surprise Boston opened up as underdog in the Phillies vs Red Sox odds, in a game that features a total of 11. Ron Roenicke’s club has failed to cover the runline in seven straight outings prior to Tuesday, while six of Philadelphia’s eight wins have been by four or more runs.

Red Sox Starters Still a Mess

Prior to Tuesday, the Red Sox were still winless in games that weren’t started by Nathan Eovaldi or Martin Perez, and their outlook from a pitching perspective on Wednesday doesn’t look bright. That’s because they’ll turn to 27-year-old rookie Kyle Hart, who didn’t last long in his Major League debut last week.

Red Sox Wrap: In Kyle Hart's MLB debut, two position players ultimately finished the game on the mound, as the Rays sweep the Sox with a 17-8 result. pic.twitter.com/HHADMVfRhx

— NESN (@NESN) August 14, 2020

The left-hander surrendered seven runs and seven hits in just 2 innings before getting the hook, in an eventual 17-8 drubbing by the Tampa Bay Rays. He’s a career minor-leaguer, who never averaged more than a 9.7 K/9 rate and whose fastball tops out around 90 mph.

Led by Bryce Harper (.364 AVG) and J.T. Realmuto (8 HR), this Phillies squad should mash against Hart and continue their recent run of success. Philadelphia has crossed the plate at least six times in three straight prior to Tuesday, and have posted a .520 slugging percentage and .900 OPS against southpaws this season.

Phillies Career Stats vs Hart

Arrieta Off to a Shaky Start

It’s no secret that Jake Arrieta isn’t the dominant pitcher he once was. His stats regressed in three straight seasons prior to 2020, and so far this year has been mostly a disappointment.

The 34-year-old hasn’t made it out of the 6th inning in two of his three starts, and his fastball velocity is down to 92.3 mph, which is a full three miles per hour lower than 2019. Last time out, he was chased after just 4.2 innings after allowing four runs and seven hits to the Baltimore Orioles.

Jake Arrieta: “We haven’t performed up to our standards. No time to worry about it. We have to play better.” #Phillies

— Rob Maaddi (@RobMaaddi) August 14, 2020

As bad as Boston has been this season, the offense has actually performed quite well at the friendly confines of Fenway Park. The Red Sox are batting .30 points higher at home than on the road, and they’ve scored 20 more runs in only one extra game.

Red Sox Career Stats vs Arrieta

With Arrieta struggling, Wednesday presents an excellent opportunity for the Boston bats to breakout at home.

Play The Over

Neither one of these teams is going to have a problem generating offense, which brings the over into play. Red Sox games have been flying past the total lately, hitting the over in five of their last eight outings.

Kevin Pillar, take a lap! pic.twitter.com/i2BUl12fKz

— Red Sox (@RedSox) August 17, 2020

Philly meanwhile, has stayed under the total in three of its past five games, but with a cupcake matchup against Kyle Hart, it wouldn’t be surprising if they put up their biggest offensive output of the season.

Pick: Over 11.0 (-106)