Red Sox Take 3 of 4 from Yankees; AL Pennant Odds Improve to +1200
By Robert Duff in MLB Baseball
Updated: January 6, 2023 at 5:53 am ESTPublished:
- The Boston Red Sox are 15-12 in July, a .652 winning percentage and their best month of the season
- Boston took three of four from the AL East-leading New York Yankees in a weekend series
- The defending World Series champions saw their AL pennant odds drop from +1300 to +1200
Is it time to get in on Boston Red Sox futures before the price drops so far that it won’t be worth the risk?
The defending World Series champions are looking like a team that deserves such a handle over the past month. As July nears a finish line, Boston is 15-8 in the month (.652 winning percentage), which is their best month all season. They are 15 games over .500 since May 1 (46-31) and sit just one game out of an American League Wild Card position.
Still, it’s not causing the sportsbooks to install immense faith in the Red Sox. Boston’s average AL Pennant odds improved a tick from +1300 to +1200.
Boston Red Sox 2019 Futures Odds
| Red Sox 2019 Futures | Odds |
|---|---|
| AL East Title | +1100 |
| AL Pennant | +1200 |
| World Series | +2200 |
*Odds taken on 07/30/19.
The Red Sox have won back-to-back World Series just once in their storied history, all the way back in 1915-16.
Red Sox Rally Caps
A dreadful start to the season saw the Red Sox sitting seven games under .500 at 6-13 on April 17. They finally got over .500 for good via a 14-1 drubbing of the Seattle Mariners on May 10.
Boston ascended to a season-high 12 games over .500 on July 27 following a 9-5 win over the Yankees. Taking three of four on the weekend from the AL East-leading Bronx Bombers was a statement performance. Prior to that, the BoSox were a dismal 1-6 against the Yankees this season.
Lots To Like About BoSox
Everywhere you look around the Boston clubhouse, players seem to be on an upswing in terms of performance. Take set-up man Matt Barnes, for instance. In June, he posted a dreadful 9.69 ERA and suffered two losses in the span of five games between June 22-26. In nine July appearances comprising seven innings of work, Barnes has not allowed a run while striking out 14.
Catcher Christian Diaz, who hit a combined 10 home runs during his first four big-league seasons, has clouted 16 already this season. Reigning AL MVP Mookie Betts is hitting .366 with five homers in July, slashing it at .432/.656/1.088 over the month.
Andrew Benintendi is batting .305 since June 1. Rafael Devers owns a .750 slugging percentage in July and a 1.159 OPS.
Just Get To The Dance
Manager Alex Cora’s message to his team centers around continuing to improve and simply finding a path to still be playing in October.
After that, he figures Boston’s experience will kick in and take over.
This is only the 2nd time the Red Sox have ever featured 9 players with 10+ HR in a season:
2019 – Benintendi, Betts, Bogaerts, Bradley, Chavis, Devers, Martinez, Moreland, Vázquez
2003 – Damon, Garciaparra, Millar, Mueller, Nixon, Ortiz, Ramirez, Varitek, Walker
— J.P. Long (@SoxNotes) July 29, 2019
Last season, the Red Sox burst from the gate and dominated baseball much in the same way Secretariat romped away from the field in the 1973 Belmont Stakes.
This year, they’ve found the route to be one filled with pitfalls and detours. But good teams find a way to get it done and with each passing month, the BoSox are beginning to resemble the team that won it all a year ago. They jumped from #10 to #7 this week in the MLB.com power rankings.
Rafael Devers recorded his 13th three-hit game of the season. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/Q5LkJRgYhX
— Red Sox (@RedSox) July 28, 2019
Realistically, it’s still a longshot that Boston wins the AL pennant but working on the road in the playoffs shouldn’t a bother. The BoSox are 32-22 away from home this season. They went 7-1 on the road during the 2018 playoffs.
Don’t bet the house on Boston but at that price, a small stipend could prove to be a sound investment strategy.
Sports Writer
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
