Boston Red Sox vs New York Yankees Free MLB Pick, 6–30–2018
Free MLB Pick by Peter Trell of King Sports Pick
Boston Red Sox (55–28) vs New York Yankees (53–26)
Saturday, June 30th, 7:15 PM EST
Line: Yankees +125, O/U 8
The Boston Red and New York Yankees have met over 2,200 times and the rivalry never gets old. After pulling into a virtual tie with Boston atop the American League East with a resounding victory Friday, the Yankees attempt to regain the division lead Saturday when they host the second of three games against the Red Sox. New York beat Boston 8–1 on Friday night behind four home runs on offense and an impressive outing by C.C. Sabathia. Tonight, we have another intriguing pitching matchup as Chris Sale (7–4, 2.56 ERA) will get the start for Boston and he’ll be opposed by Sonny Gray (5–5, 4.93 ERA) for the Yankees.
After a Game 1 loss, Chris Sale is just the pitcher you want on the mound after a loss. Sale has a 0.927 WHIP, 28 walks and a league-high 153 strikeouts over 109 innings of work. In his last start, Sale pitched seven scoreless innings, allowing four hits with one walk and 13 strikeouts in a 5–0 win over the Mariners. The Red Sox enter Saturday’s matchup as the #1 ranked offense averaging 5.14 RPG, a .256 team batting average, a .787 OPS but they are 2nd to the Yankees in home runs with 118.
New York’s powerful offense leads the majors with 131 home runs after hitting four on Friday night. The Yankees offense is very dangerous but it can be streaky. Sonny Gray gets the ball tonight for the Yankees looking to bounce back after taking the loss in his last outing vs Tampa Bay. Gray has not fared well vs the Red Sox in his career, going 1–5 with a 5.97 ERA, a 1.354 WHIP, 11 walks and 34 strikeouts over 37.2 innings of work.
There is a clear edge on the mound with Sale and the Red Sox. Sale has been a reliable ace and Sonny Gray has struggled this season and he hasn’t pitched particularly well at Yankee Stadium. Saturday’s matchup provides an opportunity for the Red Sox offense to jump on Gray and even the series at 1–1. Take the road chalk in tonight’s matchup and back the Red Sox (-145).
Red Sox vs Yankees Pick: Red Sox -145
