Yahoo Sports Dog of the day: Red Sox, who face Blue Jays, have been one of MLB's best teams all season
The Boston Red Sox had an awful 2020 season. They traded the great Mookie Betts for some reason, then went 24-36. It was rough.
But when you have the resources the Red Sox do, it's almost impossible to be down for too long.
The Red Sox are back, at least through mid-May. They're 25-17, good for first place in the AL East. They have the fifth-best run differential in MLB. Last season looks like a one-off.
On Tuesday, the Red Sox are underdogs in a matchup they've already shown they can win.
The Red Sox are +115 underdogs at BetMGM against the Toronto Blue Jays. It's a somewhat rare pitching matchup rematch, with Toronto's Hyun-jin Ryu going against Boston's Eduardo Rodriguez. Boston has handled Ryu once this season already.
On April 20, Ryu had his worst start of the season. He gave up four runs, striking out only two, in five innings. Rodriguez was much better, and Boston cruised to a 4-2 win.
There's never too much to be taken from one MLB game, but Boston also has shown it can hit lefties. The Red Sox have a .794 team OPS against lefties, which is fourth-best in MLB (Boston is third in OPS against righties, so the lineup practically mashes against anyone). You want to make sure a team can handle lefties before taking them against a tough one, and Boston checks that box.
The Jays are a good team, they're at home (whatever "home" means for the MLB's nomads these days) and have a very good pitcher on the mound. That's why they're favored. But it's pretty clear the Red Sox have a good team this season. You won't find too many chances to take a team like Boston as an underdog.
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