Ballpark Figures – Week 20

VegasInsider Staff Sports Betting Expert

6 minute read

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Boston L Party

The Boston Red Sox have dropped eight straight game, slipping to just four games over .500 at 59-55 following a four-game sweep at the hands of the hated New York Yankees. They're now 14 1/2 games back of first place in the AL East, sitting in third place, while actually being closer to the fourth-place Toronto Blue Jays than the first-place Yankees. In addition, they have allowed 596 runs, which is third-most in the AL behind only the last-place Baltimore Orioles and last-place Seattle Mariners. Boston owns a plus-56 run differential still, but that has shrunk substantially from a plus-82 when the skid began on July 27.

Boston returns home for a much-needed series against the Kansas City Royals, a team which has dropped six straight outings. The Royals also enter just 1-6 in their past seven against right-handed starting pitcher, as they try and solve RHP Rick Porcello. K.C. is also a dismal 15-45 across the past 60 on the road against righties, while going 15-43 across the past 58 against AL East teams, and 18-51 in the previous 69 road games against winning teams. For the Red Sox, Porcello might be the best thing going for them on the hill, as they're 4-1 in his previous five outings, and 5-0 in his past five against AL Central foes.

 If you're a total player, you'll likely be playing the over. The over is 7-2 in the past nine overall for the Royals, 5-1 in their past six against winning teams, 5-1 in the past six against teams from the AL East while going 6-1 in the past seven road outings against a team with a losing home mark. They're also 6-2 in the past eight following a loss.

For the Red Sox, the over has connected in 24 of their past 33 games overall, while hitting in 19 of the past 26 after a loss. The over is also 5-1 in the past six home games vs. LHP, while going 6-1 in the past seven overall against southpaws. The over is also 6-0 in Porcello's past six starts overall, while connecting four straight home outings and 20 of his past 27 against AL Central foes. The over is also 7-3 in his past 10 starts during Game 1 of a series, and 19-7-1 in his previous 27 against teams with a losing overall mark. The Red Sox have beaten the Royals seven straight times, and the over is 7-3-2 in the past 12 meetings in this series, while going 20-7-3 in the past 30 meetings overall.

Looking Ahead

Monday, Aug. 5

The A's and Cubs square off at Wrigley Field on Monday night to kick off a three-game interleague series. Oakland streaks into this game with six victories in the past seven games, while going an impressive 22-10 across the past 32 road outings. They're also 18-8 in the past 26 in Game 1 of a series. They're also 6-1 in the past seven interleague games, and 6-1 in the past seven against teams with a winning overall mark. The Cubs have won four of the past five, while winning 36 of the past 52 at home. They're also 22-7 in the past 29 at home against teams with a winning overall record. The under has cashed in five of the past seven roadgames for the A's, and eight of their past 10 against winning teams. The under is 18-7-1 in Chicago's past 26, while hitting in eight of the past nine at the Friendly Confines.

The Cardinals and Dodgers tangle in Chavez Ravine, and it's a RHP battle with Michael Wacha and Tony Gonsolin on the bump. St. Louis has won five of the past seven road games, and they're 9-3 in Wacha's past 12 starts in Game 1 of a series. However, they have won just twice in the past seven while going 1-4 in the past five vs. RHP, and 6-15 in the past 21 road outings against a team with a home winning percentage over .600. The Dodgers have won 29 of the past 40 against winning teams, while going 27-8 in the past 35 at home against winning teams. St. Louis has won five straight meetings, and four of the past five trips to L.A.

Weather Report

There will be a 9-12 mph breeze blowing out to right-center field for the series opener on Monday night. That's the only weather trouble spot, as no MLB venue faces a precipitation chance of greater than 20 percent.

Tuesday, Aug. 6

RHP Dylan Cease of the White Sox battle LHP Daniel Norris of the Tigers in Game 1 of a doubleheader. The White Sox enter 1-4 in the past five openers of a doubleheader, while going 0-4 in Cease's past four outings and 1-8 in the past nine inside the division. They're also 5-18 in the past 23 games on a grass surface. For the Tigers, they're 9-46 in the past 55 vs. RHP, while hitting in just six of Norris' past 26 starts at home. They're also 7-25 in his past 32 starts overall, while going 1-11 in the past 12 at home against teams iwth a losing overall mark. Meanwhile, Chicago has posted a 4-1 record in the past five in the second game of a doubleheader, while Detroit is 2-8 in the past 10 in the second game of a double dip.

The Braves and Twins battle at Target Field on Tuesday, and it's a nice pitching matchup with RHP Mike Foltynewicz on the hill against RHP Jose Berrios for the home team. Foltynewicz makes his first start since June 22 as the Braves won his last three starts before heading to the injured list. The right-hander defeated Minnesota in 2016 as a heavy road underdog, 7-6. For the Twins, they have won 25 of the past 34 home outings by Berrios, while going 9-4 in his past 13 home outings against a team with a winning overall mark. The Twins are 0-4 in his past four against teams with a winning record.

RHP Jake Arrieta of the Phillies takes the mound against RHP Mike Leake of the Diamondbacks, as the righty makes his team debut for Arizona. For what it's worth, Philadelphia is victorious in each of the past eight games on a Tuesday. More importantly, they're 5-2 in Arrieta's past seven outings, while going 5-0 in his past five outings when working on four days of rest. The Snakes enter the new week with a 2-5 mark in the past five vs. RHP, they're 8-17 in the past 25 in Game 2 of a series while going 2-10 in the past 12 games played on a Tuesday. In this series, the under is 5-0 in the past five in Arizona. Philly has had trouble with Arizona, going 4-12 in the past 16 meetings, including 1-5 in the past six trips to the desert.

Weather Report

In Game 1, the White Sox and Tigers face a crosswind at 10-13 mph from first base to third base. The winds tail off slightly to 8-11 mph for the nightcap. For the Marlins and Mets in Queens, they will be contending with a 10-13 mph wind blowing out to left field. The good news is that Mother Nature will again cooperate, and no rain is in the forecast.

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