Red Sox vs Cubs Predictions & Odds (July 15)

• The Red Sox vs Cubs odds list Chicago as a -135 moneyline favorite on Saturday
• James Paxton (5-1, 2.73 ERA) toes the rubber for Boston, while Chicago counters with Marcus Stroman (9-6, 2.96 ERA)
• Check out the latest Red Sox vs Cubs predictions and odds below

The All-Star break came at the absolute worst time for the Red Sox (48-43, 22-21 away). Boston was in the midst of one of their best stretches of the season, reeling off eight wins in nine games. The strong form wasn’t enough to get them out of the cellar in the loaded AL East, but it did move them within striking distance of a Wild Card spot.

Despite the strong run, online sportsbooks are siding against them on Saturday in the MLB odds. They’ve pegged the Red Sox as underdogs, in Game 2 of a three-game set against the Cubs (42-47, 21-22 home).

Red Sox vs Cubs Odds

Chicago is currently a -130 moneyline favorite, in a game without a total as of Friday night. First pitch is scheduled for 2:20 pm ET at historic Wrigley Field, in Chicago, Illinois, with 82 degree temperatures and a strong risk of thunderstorms on deck.

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Boston vs Chicago Probable Pitchers

Boston’s recent run hasn’t really moved the needle in the World Series odds. They’re currently +7000 to win it all, far shorter than any of their AL East rivals.

They’ll send James Paxton to the mound on Saturday, who’s been pitching like a Cy Young odds candidate this season. Paxton is 5-1 through 10 starts, yielding two or fewer runs in eight of those outings. At this rate, he’s on pace to set new career-highs in ERA, WHIP, and opponent batting average, while posting the second best K/9 mark of his MLB tenure.

Paxton has little history versus this version of the Cubs, and will look to take advantage of a team that stumbled to close the first half of the season. He’s yielded an impressive .205/.255/.358 opponent slash line so far, holding right-handed batters to a .171 average as a southpaw.

Paxton vs Stroman Stats

Chicago meanwhile, will counter with Marcus Stroman. The All-Star hurler opted not to pitch earlier this week in the AL vs NL game, prioritizing rest instead.

Perhaps a few extra days off can cure whatever funk Stroman was in. The right-hander got off to a fantastic start to the campaign, but was extremely hittable in his last three starts. He surrendered 12 runs over 14 innings during that stretch, as his team lost all three contests.

Marcus Stroman 12 ER his last 14 IP after people were saying he was a top 10 sp pic.twitter.com/DVyrn9hMav

— AdamThaSportFan (9-153) (8-9) (46-36) (@AdamThaSportFan) July 6, 2023

He doesn’t have a ton of history versus the Boston regulars in the MLB starting lineups, but he’ll need to be at his best to slow down this red-hot group.

Red Sox vs Cubs Predictions

Over the last nine games, the Red Sox rank third in MLB in slugging, behind only powerhouses LA and Atlanta. Boston is averaging six runs per outing during that stretch, with a .312/.366/.502 slash line. They swept the Blue Jays in Toronto to start their run, then took two of three from the AL West leading Rangers, before sweeping the A’s.

Seven different regulars are batting north of .320 during their run, led by Jarren Duran and Masataka Yoshida who are each hitting an astounding .517. The Red Sox are also getting solid production from leading slugger Rafael Devers, while newcomer Justin Turner is hitting .452 in July, after a slow start to his Boston tenure.

Yesterday at Target Field, Masataka Yoshida hit a home run 447 feet.

Tonight, Justin Turner hit a home run 447 feet.

The Minnesota Twins have only hit one home run 447 feet at Target Field this season. pic.twitter.com/kYnWev7HWE

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) June 22, 2023

The Cubs on the other hand, have been one of the seven worst hitting teams over the past two weeks. They’re slashing .241/.308/.372 during that timeframe, dropping five of nine games. Dating back a little further, they’re 6-9 over their last 15 outings, and are thought to be sellers at the upcoming trade deadline.

That’s unless they turn things around quickly this month, but there hasn’t been too many signs offensively that a turnaround is imminent. Over the last two weeks, only Cody Bellinger and Seiya Suzuki are performing admirably. All-Star Dansby Swanson was batting .192 over the last two weeks before going on the IL, while Patrick Wisdom and Nico Hoerner are hitting .091 and .182 respectively.

With the offense struggling and Stroman regressing, let’s target the Red Sox on the moneyline at plus odds to continue their strong play.

Pick: Boston Red Sox Moneyline (+110)