The first New York Yankees/Boston Red Sox series of the shortened season comes to an end on Sunday Night Baseball at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees go for the sweep with James Paxton on the mound after scoring all ten runs of the series via home runs on Friday and Saturday.
These long-time rivals will meet ten times this year and are headed in opposite directions with the Red Sox rebuilding after a 2018 World Series titles, and the Yankees favored to return to the Fall Classic for the first time in 11 years.
Last year the Yankees flipped the script on their rivals going 14-5 against the Red Sox, including an 8-1 mark at home. Boston won the seasons series 10-9 in 2018 but went just 3-6 in New York. The last time the Red Sox won a series in the Bronx was August 11-13, 2017, when they won two of three.
Boston Red Sox Outlook:
Boston pitching was tagged for five home runs in the first two games of this series, with two each allowed to Aaron Judge and Gio Urshela. On the flip side, Boston’s pop is severely down from past seasons, and they were held to three total runs over the first two games of the series. Slugger J.D. Martinez was benched after going 2-for-23 in the previous six games, and Rafael Devers is still looking for his first RBI of 2020.
Boston will go with a bullpen game as Matt Hall makes his second career MLB start on Sunday night. The right-hander is 0-2 with a 9.53 ERA in 22 career outings with Detroit and Boston.
In his first start this season, he lost 8-3 to the NY Mets, allowing three runs on three hits and two walks over just 2 2/3 innings. Hall only has one career outing against the Yankees as he allowed three runs on five hits over two innings as a reliever for Detroit last September.
New York Yankees Outlook:
The Yankees, at 6-1, have the best record in baseball as their offense has picked up where it left off in 2019, slamming baseballs all over the place. DJ Lemahieu sets the table, and the All-Star 2B already has three multi-hit games. OF Giancarlo Stanton is batting over .350 with two homers and six RBI while Judge now has four homers.
LHP James Paxton takes the mound for his second start of the season on Sunday night. He recorded just three outs over 41 pitches against the Nationals on Saturday while striking out one and allowing three runs on five hits in the 9-2 loss.
Not many Boston batters have success against Paxton the last couple of seasons with J.D. Martinez launching two homers while going 6-for-14, and Jackie Bradley Jr. is 7-for-15 against the lefty. Rafael Devers is 4-for-12, and Xander Bogaerts has a home run and three RBI.
Boston Red Sox/New York Yankees Betting Lines
Boston Red Sox +1.5 (-105) to win: +197
New York Yankees -1.5 (-115) to win: -190
Over/Under: 10 runs (O +100, U -110)
Paxton faced the Red Sox four times last season going 3-1 with a 3.28 ERA and three quality starts. Not only do the Yankees send their potent lineup out against a guy not used to starting, but they also are 13-3 in Paxton’s last 16 starts and 6-0 in the last six starts against AL East opponents.
FREE PICK: Yankees -1.5 (-115)
