The New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox will wrap up their 3 game series at Yankee Stadium on Thursday night. The Yankees will be trying to complete the sweep after beating the Red Sox, 9-6 in game 2. Eduardo Rodriguez will start for the Red Sox and the Yankees will counter with veteran CC Sabathia.
Boston got off to a terrific start in 2018, but the Red Sox are just 6-4 in their last 10 games. The Yankees are the exact opposite, but are on an absolute tear of late. The Yankees have won 17 of their last 18 games and have now taken over 1st place in the division. The New York Yankees are -135 favorites in the final game of the series on Thursday.
Yankees’ Offense on a Tear
There were high expectations for the Yankees’ offense to begin the season, and the Bronx Bombers are living up to the hype. New York currently leads all of baseball in runs scored with 200 runs, but are middle of the pack in average. Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge are the big names in the lineup, but the Yankees have plenty of depth. Stanton busted out of his slump with 2 home runs in game 1 of the series.
Veteran CC Sabathia continues to pitch well even though he is nearing the end of his career. Sabathia is 2-0 with a 1.39 ERA on the young season, and will look to keep the Red Sox lineup down. If Sabathia is able to give the Yankees a quality start, the Yankees talented bullpen should be able to handle the rest.
Red Sox Need to Respond
The Boston Red Sox have seen their lead in the AL East completely disappear and now trail the Yankees in the standings. The Red Sox blew an 8th inning lead in game 2, and are now in danger of getting swept. Boston needs to respond, and they will turn to young left hander Eduardo Rodriguez. Rodriguez is 3-0 on the young season, but has an average ERA of 5.29.
The Red Sox also feature a potent offense, but don’t rely on the home run ball as much as the Yankees. Boston is ranked second in baseball in both runs and batting average. Mookie Betts leads the charge offensively for the Red Sox. Boston knows that they will need to score runs in this game to keep up with the Yankees.
Yankees Slug, Sweep the Sox
The Red Sox and Yankees appear to be on track for a back and forth battle in the standings all summer long. The Red Sox got out front early, but the Yankees have came roaring back. Both teams are setting the pace for the rest of the American League, and both teams feature explosive offenses.
The Yankees are just too hot right now to bet against them. The New York lineup has too many weapons and the Boston pitching staff is struggling to hold them down. Look for the Bronx Bombers to slug their way to a series sweep of their most hated rival. Bet the New York Yankees at -135 over Boston on Thursday.
