MLB Betting: Yanks, BoSox Battle In Bronx

The first matchup of the season in baseball’s biggest rivalry begins Tuesday, as the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox begin a short two-game series in New York.

Boston concluded a four-game set with the Baltimore Orioles on Monday afternoon with an 8-1 loss as -270 favorites at Bovada Sportsbook. With that loss, Boston dropped to 4-3 in its last seven and has struggled on the road this season at 2-7.

New York stumbles into this series with a 1-5 record in its last six games. Last time out, the Yankees lost to the Chicago White Sox 5-2 as a -193 home favorite. Home-field advantage hasn’t helped New York much this season as the Bronx Bombers are 2-6 at Yankee Stadium.

Sale has been no bargain early in season

In Tuesday’s game, the scheduled pitching matchup is a battle of struggling aces, with Chris Sale (0-3, 9.00) going for Boston and James Paxton (1-2, 6.00) for New York.

Sale has been shockingly bad so far this season with three losses in three starts, during which he’s allowed a ton of runs. In his last start he took the loss against the Toronto Blue Jays as a -250 favorite after allowing five runs on seven hits in four innings. In 17 career appearances against the Yankees, Sale is 6-4 with a 1.61 ERA, which includes a 2-2 record and a 1.35 ERA in eight appearances at Yankee Stadium.

Paxton is coming off a loss against the Houston Astros in which he allowed five runs on eight hits in four innings. In four career starts against Boston, Paxton is 2-0 with a 2.49 ERA.

Eovaldi, Happ on the hill Wednesday

On Wednesday, Nathan Eovaldi (0-0, 8.40) will get the ball for Boston and the Yankees will counter with J.A. Happ (0-2, 8.76).

Eovaldi posted a no-decision against Toronto in his last start after giving up five runs on six hits in five innings. He’s 1-1 in four career starts against New York despite a tiny 1.93 ERA. A former Yankee, Eovaldi is 10-5 with a 3.70 ERA in 26 career starts in New York.

Happ lasted only four innings in his last start, a loss to the White Sox in which he allowed six runs on nine hits. He’s been successful against Boston in his career with an 8-4 record and 2.98 ERA in 21 starts.

In 23 matchups between Boston and New York last season, the Red Sox had a slight edge at 13-10. That includes a 5-6 record in New York last year. In the last 10 games between Boston and New York, the favorite is 6-4.