Boston at NY Yankees
Tuesday, June 7th, 8:05 PM
(matchup)
The Sox and the Yanks renew acquaintances Tuesday evening in the start of a three-game set between the division rivals. Only one game separates them in the American League East with the Yankees currently holding the advantage, but Boston has certainly gotten the better of the Pinstripes in head to head play this year, taking five of the first six meetings. They are listed as -110 favorites for tonight’s series opener.
Jon Lester will get the start for visiting Boston as he looks to bounce back from an uncharacteristically poor outing where he allowed all seven runs in a 7-3 loss to the White Sox as a -190 favorite last week. The Red Sox had won his previous two starts by a combined margin of 29-7. History suggests Lester will bounce back tonight as not only is he 4-0 with a 3.30 ERA on the road this year, but he is also 7-1 all-time vs. the Yankees to go along with a 3.49 ERA.
Overall, Boston has won 8 of Lester’s career 13 starts vs. New York. He has a 7-5 team start record in 2011 with the club losing all three games in which the southpaw did not receive a decision.
After suffering a somewhat shocking sweep at the hands of the Chicago White Sox in Fenway, the Red Sox responded by sweeping Oakland over the weekend. The offense really picked up the slack by scoring at least six runs in all three games. Boston has now won 16 of its last 22 games overall to overcome a putrid start and get to seven games over .500.
The Yankees are also playing well heading into this critical series. They have won six of seven, including two straight over the Angels over the weekend. Our MLB betting trends suggest that the Bronx Bombers may not be a good
baseball pick here however, as they are just 5-11 this season when off back to back victories.
Getting the start for New York will be right Freddy Garcia, winner of two consecutive starts. Garcia has been about as average as average can be this season with a 4-4 record and 3.23 ERA. He was not particularly effective here on May 15th when he and the team lost to Lester and the Red Sox 7-5. Garcia lasted only 5.3 innings and allowed five runs off six hits.
The good news if you are a Yankees bettor is that Garcia owns an 11-4 team start record when working on five or six days rest.
