The New York Yankees (38-28, 21-16 home) square off against the Boston Red Sox (32-33, 15-17 away) in the series rubber match in primetime on Sunday night. Boston won the opener on Friday, and New York bounced back to take the second matchup on Saturday.
The first pitch of the contest is at 7 p.m. EST inside Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York. The Yankees are the betting favorite (-125 moneyline), and the over/under total is 8.5 runs.
What to Know – Boston Red Sox
Boston enters Sunday’s tilt one game under .500 and losers of three of its last four contests. The Red Sox sit in last place in the AL East, trailing the leading Tampa Bay Rays by 14 games.
Right-hander Bryan Bello (3-4, 3.97 ERA, 1.43 WHIP) is the expected starter for the visitors. Bello has pitched well this season but has gotten very little run support when on the hill. The 24-year-old has made nine starts, pitching 45.1 innings, allowing 20 earned runs, 50 hits, walking 15, and striking out 46 batters.
The Red Sox offense sits eighth in the majors with a .259 team batting average and score 4.9 runs per game. Boston’s pitching staff is 24th amongst league teams sporting a 4.66 team earned run average.
Rafael Devers is third in the MLB with 52 runs batted in and is the only player in the Red Sox lineup with double-digit home runs (15). Rookie Masataka Yoshida has been as good as advertised from Japan, hitting .305 with seven home runs and 33 RBIs.
What to Know – New York Yankees
New York has won two of its last three games and has a 5-5 record over its last ten games. The Yankees are in third place in the AL East, 8.5 games behind the Rays.
On the hill for New York is expected to be righty Clark Schmidt (2-6, 4.96 ERA, 1.46 WHIP). The 27-year-old is looking to shake off two straight losses and get back into the win column. Schmidt has pitched 61.2 innings, surrendering 34 earned runs on 71 hits and 19 walks while striking out 66 batters.
Offensively, the Yankees hit .234 as a team, 24th in the MLB, while scoring 4.6 runs per contest. The pitching staff for New York is fourth in the league featuring a 3.61 team ERA.
Aaron Judge is having another All-Star season at the plate, leading the Yankees with 19 home runs and 40 RBIs, backed by a .291 batting average. Anthony Rizzo and Gleyber Torres each have 11 home runs apiece, and Giancarlo Stanton returned to the lineup earlier this week after spending extended time on the injured list.
The Pick is In
These two starting pitchers have had their moments, but it will be the offenses for these two teams that take center stage Sunday night. We love the over here, with both teams scoring early and often in the Bronx.
The Pick: Red Sox/Yankees OVER 8.5 runs
