Red Sox vs Yankees Odds, Picks, and Probable Pitchers (Game 1, August 17)
- The Boston Red Sox are -165 favorites over the New York Yankees in the first game of a doubleheader at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday, August 17
- Boston has won three of the last four games from the Yanks
- The Red Sox have taken four of the past six games at Yankee Stadium
Baseball’s longest-standing and bitterest rivalry renews on Tuesday. At this juncture, a visit to Yankee Stadium to face the New York Yankees (66-53, 33-25 home) might be just what the doctor ordered for the Boston Red Sox (69-51, 32-27 away).
The BoSox appear to finally be coming out the funk that first gripped them in late July. Boston has won four of the last five games. Previous to that, the Red Sox slid downward through a 3-14 skid.
This turnaround might be putting them in a New York state of mind. Boston has won three of the last four games when facing the Yanks. At Yankee Stadium, the Red Sox are 4-2 over the past six games.
Boston is a -145 road favorite in the afternoon tilt of a day-night doubleheader. The Red Sox are 13-11 as the road chalk this season.
Red Sox vs Yankees Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Runline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Red Sox | -145 | -1.5 (+120) | O 7 (-120) |
| New York Yankees | +125 | +1.5 (-140) | U 7 (+100) |
Odds as of August 16th at DraftKings.
The first pitch for Tuesday’s opener at Yankee Stadium is set for 1:05pm ET.
Montgomery vs Eovaldi
| 4-5 | Record | 10-7 |
| 3.69 | ERA | 3.92 |
| 3.90 | xERA | 3.40 |
| 1.19 | WHIP | 1.19 |
| 3.29 | SO/W Ratio | 5.36 |
Jordan Montgomery (COVID-19) is expected to be activated from the 10-day IL to pitch this game. He’s made 21 starts this season and is among 14 starting pitchers deployed by the Yankees.
The left-hander ended a personal four-game losing streak by getting the decision in a 4-3 verdict over the Tampa Bay Rays on July 27. That’s Montgomery’s only win since June 2.
What did Jordan Montgomery do to stay loose while he was away from the Yankees?
"Found a wall and threw into it…just tried to do something so I didn't lose my mind" pic.twitter.com/FcSUD8bV9v
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) August 16, 2021
He’s faced the Red Sox three times this season and is 0-2 with a 2.65 ERA. In nine career starts against Boston, Montgomery is 1-2 with a 3.72 ERA.
Boston right-hander Nathan Eovaldi was 7-2 with a 3.78 ERA on June 4 after beating the Yankees 5-2 at Yankee Stadium. Since then, he’s gone 3-5 and watched his ERA climb as high as 4.11.
Nate Eovaldi is dealing so far tonight. He already has six strikeouts in three innings of work.#DirtyWater | #RedSox
— Jamie Gatlin (@JamieGatlin17) August 12, 2021
He’s faced the Yanks four times this season. Eovaldi is 2-0 when he figures in the decision. Boston is 0-2 when Eovaldi doesn’t figure in the decision. Through all four starts, he shows an impressive 1.71 ERA.
In 13 career appearances against the Bronx Bombers, ex-Yankee Eovaldi is 3-2 with a 2.81 ERA and an 0.96 WHIP. Eovaldi is 11-6 with a 3.72 ERA and a 1.228 WHIP in 31 appearances over his career at Yankee Stadium.
Batting Average vs Starting Pitchers
| Red Sox Batters | Batting Average vs Montgomery | Yankees Batters | Batting Average vs Eovaldi |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jonathan Arauz | .000 | Rob Brantly | .333 |
| Xander Bogaerts | .455 | Jonathan Davis | .500 |
| Bobby Dalbec | .167 | Joey Gallo | .000 |
| Rafael Devers | .200 | Brett Gardner | .208 |
| Jarren Duran | .000 | Kyle Higahioka | 1.000 |
| Enrique Hernandez | .000 | Aaron Judge | .375 |
| JD Martinez | .067 | DJ Lemahieu | .348 |
| Kevin Plawecki | .000 | Rougned Odor | .000 |
| Hunter Renfroe | .375 | Giancarlo Stanton | .190 |
| Kyle Schwarber | .000 | Andrew Velazquez | .000 |
| Travis Shaw | .000 | Luke Voit | .333 |
| Christian Vazquez | .357 | Tyler Wade | .000 |
| Alex Verdugo | .154 | — | — |
Yankees first baseman DJ Lemahieu is batting .348 (8-for-23) with a homer and three RBI against Eovaldi. Outfielder Aaron Judge is 6-for-16 (.375) with a solo homer.
First baseman Luke Voit is 3-for-9 (.333) and catcher Rob Brantly is 1-for-3 (.333). Catcher Kyle Higashioka is 1-for-1 (1.000) with two RBI.
Contributing to his team's 20-8 smashing of the Rays tonight with 4 RBI, Xander Bogaerts has now hit all but 7 of his 135 career home runs when playing as a shortstop. He ties Rico Petrocelli for the 2nd most by that criteria in @RedSox history (128. Most: 177- Nomar Garciaparra) pic.twitter.com/oAluZnkdCc
— StatsCentre (@StatsCentre) August 12, 2021
Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts is 10-for-22 (.455) when facing Montgomery with an OPS of 1.045. Catcher Christian Vazquez is clipping along at 5-for-14 (.375) with a home run and two RBI.
Outfielder Hunter Renfroe is 3-for-8 (.375) and has driven in two runs.
Yankees vs Red Sox Picks
Boston made a number of roster changes on Monday. The Red Sox optioned infielder Franchy Cordero and catcher Connor Wong to Triple-A Worcester. Infielder Travis Shaw was added to the roster. Infielder/outfielder Marwin Gonzalez was released.
Following Monday’s win over the Los Angeles Angels, the Yankees returned catcher Rob Brantly and right-handed pitcher Stephen Ridings to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The moves were likely to make room to activate Montgomery and catcher Gary Sanchez from IL.
Presumably to make room for Gary Sánchez and Jordan Montgomery. https://t.co/avOpraCiNn
— Justin Shackil (@JustinShackil) August 17, 2021
Both the Yankees and the BoSox come into this game riding three-game winning streaks. New York has won each of the past 12 games played against the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium following a win. Each of the Yankees’ last five home games have gone under the total.
Pick: Boston Red Sox (-145)
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.
