Blue Jays vs Red Sox Picks & Predictions
Blue Jays vs Red Sox – the two teams will start a four-game series at Fenway Park on Friday. The Red Sox ended a two-game skid on Thursday night with a 12-8 victory over the Houston Astros. The White Sox suffered a loss at the hands of the Chicago White Sox on Thursday by a score of 5-2.
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Blue Jays vs Red Sox Picks
The Red Sox have the advantage in this season series so far, they lead 3-2.
The Red Sox are 37-25 on the season, which leaves them at second in the AL East division behind the New York Yankees, and they are 17-15 at the glorious Fenway Park.
For the Blue Jays, they come into this matchup 4th in the AL East with a record of 31-28. They are 18-15 on the “road” (haven’t played at Home/Rogers Centre all year due to Covid Restrictions).
These two teams are some high-scoring teams who destroy the ball whenever they get the chance. Expect this series to be four fun, and high-scoring games over this near summer weekend.
Key Factors and Players Heading into Game 1
Garret Richards will take the mound on Friday night for the Boston Red Sox. The Toronto Blue Jays will send out Ross Stripling for the start.
Richards is 4-4 on the season with a 3.88 ERA and 1.52 WHIP. In his last matchup against the Blue Jays, Richards picked up the win against Toronto on May 19, allowing just two earned runs in six innings of the Red Sox 7-3 win.
Opposite of Richards on that start was Stripling who in nine games this year, is 2-3 with a 4.71 ERA. In that previous matchup vs the Red Sox, he was rocked for six earned runs and three home runs in just 3 2/3 innings during the 7-3 loss. The Blue Jays hope Stripling gets the better of Richards and the Sox this time around.
The Blue Jays’ slugger lineup has led the way this season. They are top in the MLB with a .437 slugging percentage, fourth with 85 home runs, and sixth in scoring at 4.9 runs per game.
MVP-candidate Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has been consistent and powerful this season. He has a .330 Batting AVG, 18 home runs, and 48 RBI from the plate.
The Red Sox are right behind the Jays as the seventh highest-scoring team, averaging 4.9 runs per game, third with a .432 slugging percentage and their team has combined for a .255 batting average.
Xander Bogaerts is the team leader with a .321 batting average, and Rafael Devers leads the team with 15 home runs and 48 RBI. DH and OF J.D. Martinez completes this trio of stars with 12 home runs, 39 RBIs, and a batting average of .313.
A game that features this tremendous trio from Boston, and the likes of young stars such as Bo Bichette and Vlad Guerrero Jr. for the Blue Jays, makes for a fun game to watch.
Prediction
The Red Sox have been hot recently against AL East foes. They are 15-6 on the season and have recently swept the Yankees and taken 2 of 3 versus the Blue Jays in their previous matchup. I expect this to continue in this series.
With both teams being offensive powerhouses, and two pitchers who aren’t dominating the opposition this season in Richards and Stripling, I expect a high-scoring affair in Game 1.
Boston’s defense and their better depth within their bullpen should push them ahead in this one.
Final Picks: Boston ML (-128) Over 9.5 runs (-110). Consensus Odds
