Boston Red Sox vs Toronto Blue Jays: Preview & Prediction
It’s a good ol’ fashioned AL East showdown on Tuesday, April 24th as the Red Sox return to Rogers Centre to take on the Blue Jays.
The Red Sox have stumbled recently with two straight losses, but are still off to their best start in franchise history. The key ingredient in their secret sauce has been killer offense, as Boston leads the Majors in hits, runs, doubles, total bases, batting average, slugging percentage, and OPS.
The Blue Jays haven’t been half bad themselves. Toronto is second in the division at 13-8 and ranks in the top ten in home runs, RBI, and slugging percentage. Like Boston, they’re also coming off of back-to-back losses and will be eager to right the ship against a very familiar foe.
Below, find the opening odds, key statistics and betting trends, weather forecast, and score prediction for tonight’s game.
Opening Odds
| MONEYLINE | RUNLINE | O/U RUNS |
|---|---|---|
| RED SOX (-117) | RED SOX +1.5 (+145) | OVER 8.5 (EVEN) |
| BLUE JAYS (-103) | BLUE JAYS -1.5 (-165) | UNDER 8.5 (-120) |
Rick Porcello has emerged as the best pitcher on Boston’s exceptional staff. The 2016 Cy Young winner is 4-0 with a 1.40 ERA and has leapfrogged Chris Sale and David Price in WAR and WHIP. That’s no mean feat, and it’s a testament to his exceptional poise and control. The 29-year-old right-hander has given up just one walk all season and will make the Blue Jays work for everything they get tonight.
Taking the mound for Toronto is JA Happ, who has won three straight games and is 3-1 with a 4.58 ERA. Happ came away with a “w” in his last start against the Royals, but that’s largely because of the ridiculous amount of run support he was afforded. The veteran southpaw gave up four earned runs in six innings, and was far from dominant in his fourth start of the season. The Blue Jays will need him to bring his A-game tonight to have any hope of edging the Red Sox.
Team Stats
| 17-4 (9-3 Away) | RECORD | 13-8 (7-3 Home) |
| +64 | RUN DIFFERENTIAL | +28 |
| RHP Rick Porcello: 4-0, 1.40 ERA, 0.82 WHIP | PROBABLE STARTER | LHP JA Happ: 3-1, 4.50 ERA, 1.27 WHIP |
| .191 BA, .264 OPS (in 209 at-bats) | LINEUP VS OPPONENT STARTER | .250 BA, .301 OPS (in 240 at-bats) |
| 3.25 ERA (10th in MLB) | BULLPEN ERA | 2.12 ERA (2nd in MLB) |
| .810 (1st in MLB) | TEAM OPS | .735 (10th in MLB) |
| 13-6 (8-1 Away) | 2017 HEAD-TO-HEAD | 6-13 (1-8 Home) |
Betting Results & Trends
| RED SOX | TREND | BLUE JAYS |
|---|---|---|
| Lost 2 | WIN/LOSS STREAK | Lost 2 |
| 8-2 | LAST 10 | 6-4 |
| 12-9 | RUNLINE RECORD | 12-9 |
| 12-8-1 | OVER/UNDER SPLIT | 10-10-1 |
| Under 2 | OVER/UNDER STREAK | Under 1 |
Boston’s bats went silent for the second game in a row and the Red Sox fell to the A’s 4-1 in Oakland. Rafael Devers had one hit and scored Boston’s only run in the seventh.
The Blue Jays lost to the Yankees 5-1 thanks to another strong outing from Luis Severino. The 24-year-old right-hander allowed just three hits in seven innings and improved his record to 4-1.
Weather Forecast at Opening Pitch
| TEMPERATURE | 47° |
| HUMIDITY | 74% |
| WIND SPEED | E 8 mph |
| P.O.P. | 48% |
Score Prediction
| RED SOX | 6 |
| BLUE JAYS | 2 |
Few teams know each other better than the Red Sox and Blue Jays, who have tangled 616 times since 1977. Boston has won 338 of those match-ups, including 13 of their 19 games last season. Expect that lopsided trend to continue tonight.
Boston has countless advantages, but the biggest one of all is Porcello, who has given up just eight hits and zero walks combined over his last two starts.
Boston has countless advantages, but the biggest one of all is Porcello, who has given up just eight hits and zero walks combined over his last two starts. The Morristown native had a 0.66 ERA in 13.2 innings at Rogers Centre in 2017 and is on track for another commanding performance tonight.
Ryan worked as an Editor and resident Lead NBA and MLB Writer for SB from 2017-19. He has authored his own weekly columns for Fox Sports and AskMen, and has created successful campaigns for the WWE, the NHL, and the NFL. Ryan's critically acclaimed stories have been published in 20 books.
