Yahoo Sports Dog of the day: Red Sox have won more than 70% of their games as an underdog in 2021
The Boston Red Sox have been one of the most reliable teams for MLB bettors this season, especially as an underdog.
The Red Sox have the fifth-best run line record in baseball at 25-19, but they have been prolific as an underdog. Entering Thursday night’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays, the Red Sox are a remarkable 12-2 against the run line as an underdog. Boston is also 10-4 straight-up this season as an underdog with a 6-2 record as a road underdog.
The Red Sox are the underdog against the Blue Jays, listed at +1.5 (-165) on the spread and +110 on the moneyline at BetMGM.
With those odds attached to the run line, I’m going with the Sox straight-up at +110 as they look to win the series and stay in first place in the American League East.
I like the pitching matchup here for Boston. The Red Sox are sending Nick Pivetta to the mound. Pivetta showed flashes, but largely struggled early in his MLB career with the Philadelphia Phillies. Since he was traded last season, Pivetta has managed to turn things around in Boston. The 6-foot-5 righty is 5-0 with a 3.16 earned-run average in eight starts this season.
The Red Sox are 7-1 in games Pivetta has started. In his most-recent outing, Pivetta struck out seven batters and allowed only two runs in six innings in a Red Sox win.
On the other side, Toronto is going with lefty Steven Matz. Matz has struggled to go deep into games lately, failing to make it past the fifth inning in his last five starts. Matz has also given up at least three earned runs in four of his last five starts.
The Red Sox have hit lefties quite well this season, boasting a .772 OPS. That’s the third-best mark in the American League.
More from Yahoo Sports:
