The Boston Red Sox (18-14, 12-7 home) close out a four-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays (18-13, 9-10 away) looking to hand Toronto four-straight losses. Boston has a pair of one-run victories and an 8-3 win on Wednesday.
Thursday’s first pitch of the series finale is at 6:10 p.m. EST inside Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts.
Toronto is the betting favorite (-165 moneyline) and the over/under total is 8.5 runs.
What to Know – Toronto Blue Jays
Toronto has lost four in a row dating back to its series finale defeat against Seattle on Sunday. The Blue Jays have tumbled to third in the AL East, seven games back of the Tampa Bay Rays.
The starting pitcher for the Blue Jays is expected to be right-hander Kevin Gausman (2-2, 2.33 ERA, 1.01 WHIP). Gausman has been electric on the mound over his last two starts, racking up 14.0 innings of no-run ball. In four of his six starts the 32-year-old has allowed no earned runs.
The Blue Jays rank 11th in the majors hitting .254 as a team and scoring 4.7 runs per game. Toronto’s pitching staff is 13th in the MLB featuring a 4.12 team earned run average.
Bo Bichette and Valdimir Guerrero Jr. are off to excellent starts at the plate for the Blue Jays. Bichette is hitting .328 with a team-best seven home runs and 21 runs batted in, while Guerrero Jr. sports a .328 average, six home runs, and 18 RBIs.
What to Know – Boston Red Sox
Boston has won five in a row and can jump the Blue Jays in the standings with a win Thursday night. The Red Sox winning streak is their longest of the season and best since a five-game run in late August and early September of last year.
Right-hander Brayan Bello (0-1, 6.57 ERA, 1.86 WHIP) aims to keep the winning trend going in Beantown. The second-year pro is making his fourth start and looking for his first win of the season. Bello has pitched 12.1 innings, surrendering nine earned runs on 18 hits and five walks while striking out 14 batters.
The Red Sox are third in the MLB and second in the AL hitting .270 as a team and averaging 5.8 runs per game. The pitching staff for Boston sits 24th in the league sporting a 4.93 team ERA.
Rafael Devers is pacing the Red Sox offense with a team-high ten home runs and 27 RBIs. The 29-year-old rookie Masataka Yoshida has lived up to the billing, hitting .303 with five home runs and 21 RBIs in his first MLB season after coming over from Japan.
The Pick is In
There has to be some frustration in the Blue Jays locker room, having dropped three straight to the rival Red Sox. Gausman has been a horse on the mound, and his pitching, mixed with some key hits by Toronto’s offense, won’t have the Blue Jays leaving Boston without a win. We like Toronto to win big.
The Pick: Toronto Blue Jays -1.5
