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The Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees square off on Friday with first pitch set for 7:05 p.m. ET. The game takes place at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, NY and will only be available on local TV or through an MLB.tv subscription. Red Sox starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi is scheduled to make his return from the injured list and pitch for the first time June 8. The Yankees will counter with left-hander Jordan Montgomery.
The Red Sox (47-43) pulled off a couple of thrilling comebacks in order to split last weekend’s series between these two teams at Fenway. But so much for any momentum — they just got swept in their four-game set against the Rays, concluding with a loss that saw Boston squander a three-run lead in the seventh inning. Boston is just 11-24 versus AL East competition this year. Shortstop Xander Bogaerts has multiple hits in five of his past six games, going 10-for-22 with three doubles. Eovaldi returns to a 3.16 ERA over 68.1 innings. He has been out since June 9 due to lower back inflammation.
The Yankees (61-27) still hold the best record in baseball, but they are just 13-11 over their past 24 games and coming off a home series loss to the Cincinnati Reds. The main culprit for these relative struggles has been New York’s pitching staff. Once the best staff in MLB, Yankees pitchers have logged a 4.35 ERA this month. DJ LeMahieu has logged a .434 on-base percentage over his past 26 games. Montgomery owns a 3.19 earned run average and allowed two runs over 5.2 innings in a no-decision against the Red Sox on July 9.
Red Sox vs. Yankees
Pitchers: Nathan Eovaldi vs. Jordan Montgomery
First pitch: 7:05 p.m. ET
Red Sox local broadcast: NESN
Yankees local broadcast: Amazon Prime Video
Live stream: MLB.tv (subscription)
Odds, picks & predictions
Run Line: Yankees -1.5 (+125)
Run total: 8
Moneyline odds: Yankees -165, Red Sox +140
Moneyline pick: Yankees -165
Eovaldi, a former Yankee, has been generally good against the Bronx Bombers during his career. But he did allow three runs — including two homers — over five innings at Yankee Stadium on Opening Day. He’s been very homer-prone this year, which is not what you want in that small ballpark. Although this line might be a little too lopsided toward the Yanks, they should win tonight. How they blew the last two games of last weekend’s series in Boston should be fresh on their minds.
Player prop pick: Giancarlo Stanton OVER 0.5 home runs (+320)
Stanton has gone deep nine times in his previous 18 games and three times against Eovaldi in just 30 career at-bats. Yankee Stadium gives him a clear advantage, but a matchup against this Red Sox righty is just icing on the cake.
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