A three-game series that is also a rematch of last season’s World Series concludes on Sunday Night Baseball when the Los Angeles Dodgers take on the host Boston Red Sox. The two teams have split the first two games, with Boston winning 8-1 in the opener and the Dodgers taking the second matchup 11-2 on Saturday night.
Los Angeles has been cruising this season and currently sits 13.5 games above second-place Arizona in the National League West. The Dodgers have the best record in baseball by a game over the New York Yankees. Speaking of the Yankees, the Red Sox are looking up at their archrivals in the American League East, trailing New York by nine games entering Sunday’s action. Boston is just 1.5 games off the pace for the second Wild Card spot in the American League.
The moneyline for this contest has the Los Angeles Dodgers -105 and the Boston Red Sox -105. The over/under for this game has been set at 9.
Ace of Aces
The Dodgers had three of their starting pitchers on the National League All-Star team, but it was Hyun-Jin Ryu was the one that manager Dave Roberts gave the start. The left-hander has been brilliant this season, pitching to a 10-2 record with a 1.73 ERA, which leads the National League. Ryu pitched a scoreless first in the All-Star Game and picked up his 10th win of the season in his last start, going six shutout innings and allowing just three hits against San Diego.
Saturday night’s victory snapped a four-game losing streak for the Dodgers in which they scored a combined seven runs. The power of the Los Angeles lineup was evident on Saturday, with the team hitting four home runs, pushing their total for the season to 151, just five behind league leader Milwaukee. Cody Bellinger certainly gets a majority of the headlines — and deservedly so — with his 31 home runs, .338 batting average, 73 RBI and 71 runs. But Los Angeles has its gaudy record because of the depth of the team, with Max Muncy and Joc Pederson both with 20 or more home runs and three others with double-digit totals in the category.
Trying To Recapture The Magic
Boston has been struggling all season long to get back to its winning ways of a season ago when they piled up 108 regular-season wins on the way to a World Series title. Part of the problem has been the team’s play at home, where they have a 21-23 mark compared to a 29-19 record on the road. David Price will look to improve on that record when he takes the mound tonight, having picked up two wins over the Dodgers in last year’s World Series. This season, Price is 7-2 with a 3.24 ERA and hasn’t taken a loss since April 27. He’s won his last three starts, giving up two runs or fewer in each one.
Prior to Saturday’s loss, the Boston offense seemed to be finding a groove, averaging 8.2 runs over a five-game winning streak. Rafael Devers paces the Red Sox in batting average at .327, but he’s been even better in July, batting .375 with five home runs and 14 RBI in eight games. Xander Bogaerts and J.D. Martinez also provide some pop, pacing the team with 19 and 18 home runs, respectively.
Red Sox Get Win
This pitching matchup is one of the better ones you’ll find in all of baseball. Despite all of the talented bats in each lineup, expect a low-scoring contest. Boston is desperate to gain some momentum going into the second half of the season, while Los Angeles doesn’t have the same urgency in going for a win. Take Boston -105 to earn the win and take the series.
