Boston Red Sox at Chicago Cubs Betting Preview/Prop Picks
02 July 2022
The Boston Red Sox will enter the second game of a three-game series against the Chicago Cubs today. The first game went to the Cubs, who barely beat the Red Sox, 6-5.
Boston had a strong start to the game, scoring four runs in the first two innings. However, the Cubs put up six runs themselves between the fifth and sixth innings. Today, Boston will look to hold onto a lead.
The Chicago Cubs had a great game against the Boston Red Sox yesterday. With a record of 31-46, every win will help them get back to .500. Slowing down the Red Sox batters will be the most important thing for them tonight.
At the same time, the Cubs will need to do quite a bit of scoring themselves. Let’s look at each of these teams and make our pick for tonight’s game.
Boston Red Sox: Will they succeed at holding a lead today?
Although they were up 4-0 by the third inning, the Red Sox were unable to hold a lead. Most would say a four-run lead is more than enough of a cushion. However, Hansel Robles gave up a big home run and allowed three runs in the bottom of the sixth.
The good news is the Red Sox will start the game with Josh Winckowski, who is 3-1. He also has an impressive ERA of 3.60.
With Winckowski on the mound, the Red Sox should be set at the pitching position. Now, at the plate, is really where the Red Sox excels. As a team, Boston has a batting average of .262, ranking first in Major League Baseball.
They’re also fifth with an on-base percentage of .326 and has scored 369 runs this season. We expect to see some incredible batting from them tonight.
Chicago Cubs: Pitching could put the Cubs in a bad spot tonight
As the Cubs prepare to face the Red Sox, who they have on the mound is a big concern. With how good the Red Sox batters are, you need a top-tier pitcher to slow them down.
Tonight, the Cubs are starting the game with Alec Mills, who is 0-1 this season. His record isn’t the bothersome part; however, his ERA of 9.87 is a problem. So, how can they remedy this?
Well, for starters, they could pull Mills early if it gets out of hand too quickly. However, they could risk over-exerting one of their other pitchers. Mills has given up seven home runs this season along with 27 hits in 17.1 innings.
At this point, the chances for the Cubs to win this one seem to be dwindling. The only chance they’ll have is if their batters can put together a strong game.
Boston Red Sox at Chicago Cubs Betting Pick
Although the Cubs were able to secure a big win yesterday, we don’t see them winning tonight. The main reason for this is the fact that they have Alec Mills on the mound.
If they had a better starting pitcher, they could potentially win this one. However, with Mills’ record and ERA, the best pick here is the Boston Red Sox at -154.
The Red Sox have only won two of their last five games, making this one a rather important one. Because of this, we think the Red Sox will come out and put runs on the board quickly, similar to yesterday. However, this time they’ll actually hold off the Cubs, and the total will go over.
DunkelIndex Free Pick: Boston Red Sox -154, OVER
Prop Picks
Boston (-105) OVER 5.5 Runs
Boston is averaging 4.83 runs per 9 innings on offense, which ranks No. 7 in the league, with a team BA of .262, which ranks No. 1. Scores have gone OVER in four of the Red Sox’ last five road games.
With Dunkel predicting a Boston victory by the score of 7-6, take the Red Sox (-105) to finish OVER their Vegas team total of 5.5 runs against the Cubs.
Rafael Devers (-135) OVER 0.5 Runs Scored
Devers has scored 56 runs in 75 games, which ranks No. 1 on the Red Sox and No. 4 in MLB. The veteran third baseman has scored 31 runs in 169 at-bats with a .325 BA and .374 OBP on the road.
With Dunkel predicting a Red Sox road win while going OVER their Vegas run total, take Devers (-135) to finish OVER 0.5 runs scored versus Chicago.
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