The Yankees will try to get the brooms out as they go for the sweep of the Red Sox on Sunday Night baseball. Suddenly, New York’s offense is back on as they’ve pulled away in the division and could clinch it in the next couple of days.
Will the Yankees pounce on the opportunity? Let’s break down the Yankees vs. Red Sox odds to form a betting prediction for Sunday Night Baseball.
Judge Goes For History
When you look at the Yankees’ 8.5-game lead in the AL East, you wouldn’t believe they are fresh off a two-month skid. After going 23-31 in July and August, they’ve gotten back on track and are 13-6 record in September with their magic number to clinch the division down to three.
Nasty Nestor Cortez will be on the mound, and even with a short IL stint at the end of August, he continues to be one of the Yankees’ best assets in this rotation. He saw the Red Sox recently in Fenway and pitched five innings, allowing three hits, one earned, and struck out seven in the win. As the Yankees finish the season with what looks like a division title and a first-round bye, he should be the No. 2 pitcher for their playoff run.
All 60 of @TheJudge44's homers!
Enjoy The Show. pic.twitter.com/6f70XGLFIC
— MLB (@MLB) September 21, 2022
The team is the secondary story as Aaron Judge is trying to make history. He’s just one shy of tying Roger Maris for the single-season AL home run record and is the first player since Barry Bonds in 2001 with 60 or more. ESPN has been cutting to his at-bats as go from history, much to the discretion of college football fans, but he and the Yankees will have the spotlight to themselves on Sunday Night.
Peaks & Valleys Of Red Sox Offense
Unfortunately, although the Red Sox had similar struggles this season, they could not overcome them and will be sitting at home in October.
Their biggest problem throughout the season was the inconsistency of the lineup. Most of the batting order struggled to start the season as they faced a quick deficit in the division, then began to surge as they climbed back into the Wild Card race, but the offense struggled again as they finished 8-19 in July and never climbed back.
The lineup is on a bit of a run as their .503 slugging is second-best, and the .284 average is fourth since September 18th.
The Red Sox will send up the rookie Brayan Bello, and he has not been efficient this season. Boston is just 2-9 in his starts, and the two decisions Bello has won were against Texas and Cincinnati, both sub-.500 teams by at least 20 games.
He did see the Yankees recently in Fenway, and while none of the runs allowed were credited to him, he couldn’t overcome three errors in the fifth, including two on one play, and they scored three runs that inning.
Yankees vs Red Sox Prediction
The Yankees’ offense is getting hot, scoring five or more runs in 11 of their last 12, which includes two extra-inning wins and two walk-offs. The momentum of Aaron Judge’s spotlight and how well he’s played has propelled this offense as they lead the league in every main statistical offensive category over the last couple of weeks.
The Over has hit in seven of nine between these two teams in the Bronx, including six straight. If you want to spice up the bet and put the Yankees straight up, that’s an option, but I’m riding the over as the best bet.
The Pick: Over 8.5 | -110 at BetFred Sportsbook
