Boston Red Sox vs. Toronto Blue Jays 7/17/19: Starting Lineups, Matchup Preview, Betting Odds
Contents
TV & Radio Section
Boston Red Sox vs. Toronto Blue Jays, 7/17/19 7:10 PM ET Fenway Park, Boston, MA, TV: Boston (NESN), Toronto (SNET, TVA Sports) Radio: Boston (WEEI 93.7, WCCM 1490 AM/103.7 FM), Toronto (SN590)
Matchup Preview
Game three of the classic AL-East matchup is set to begin today at 7:10 PM ET at Fenway Park. After the Blue Jays took last night’s game 10-4, the 4 game series is currently tied at 1-1. The magic number seems to be 10, as the Red Sox won the first game of the series 10-8. It’ll be Eduardo Rodriguez for the Red Sox tonight as Aaron Sanchez gets the nod for there Blue Jays.
Eduardo Rodriguez is 10-4 on the year with an ERA of 4.43 and 116 Ks. In his last start against the Dodgers, he struck out 10 and allowed just one run in seven innings. At Fenway on the year, he’s 4-1 with an ERA of 3.95 through 9 starts. His last start against Toronto came on May 20th where he gave up 6 earned runs in 5 innings pitched.
Aaron Sanchez currently sits at 3-13 on the year with an ERA of 6.22. In his last 10 innings pitched, he’s given up 6 runs with 7 Ks. He gave up 2 runs and 4 hits in his last go against the Red Sox on May 22nd. He fanned 5 in that game.
Boston Red Sox Starting Lineup
1. Mookie Betts (R) RF
2. Andrew Benintendi (L) LF
3. J.D. Martinez (R) DH
4. Rafael Devers (L) 3B
5. Xander Bogaerts (R) SS
6. Brock Holt (L) 2B
7. Michael Chavis (R) 1B
8. Jackie Bradley Jr. (L) CF
9. Christian Vazquez C (R)
SP. Eduardo Rodriguez (L) 10-4
Red Sox Analysis
As the Yankees seem to be pulling away in the AL East, the AL Wildcard seems to be the best bet for the Red Sox to find an avenue into the post-season this year. They’re currently just 3.0 games out of the second wildcard spot. If they continue to play good baseball and have a quintessential 21st century Red Sox second-half, I don’t see it being a problem for them grabbing one of the Wild Card spots.
Post All-Star Break, the bats of Bogaerts, Holt, Betts, and Devers have looked especially good. They’re all hitting above .300 in the 5 games the Red Sox have suited up for. Bogaerts has 4 HRs in those 5 games and a total of 12 hits in 20 ABs. Interestingly enough, Sanchez seems to have the Red Sox number in a way, as no one in the lineup is hitting above .300 or higher off of him.
Any game that Eduardo Rodriguez takes the hill instantly feels very winnable. His high K-rate has been a big part of what’s put him at 10-4 on the year. That being said, he didn’t look good in his only outing against the Blue Jays on the year, exiting that game with an ERA of 10.80 after going just 5.0 innings.
Toronto Blue Jays Starting Lineup
1. C. Biggio, 2B (L)
2. V. Guerrero Jr., 3B (R)
3. L. Gurriel, LF (R)
4. R. Grichuk, RF (R)
5. J. Smoak, 1B (S)
6. T. Hernandez, CF (R)
7. R. Tellez, DH (L)
8. F. Galvis, SS (S)
9. D. Jansen, C (R)
SP. A. Sanchez (R) 3-13
Blue Jays Analysis
While the Blue Jays don’t seem to have a shot at entering the post-season this year, any fan has to at least be pleased with the promising young talent on the team. The Jays are 4-6 in their last 10 and they’re currently 25.5 games back in the East and 18.5 games back in the AL Wild Card race.
The Blue Jays are 2-3 since the All-Star break’s conclusion. Sogard has an impressive 9 hits in 22 ABs in the last 5 games. We’ve continued to see Guerrero Jr. struggle as he’s pieced together just 3 hits n his last 16 ABs. In 9 ABs against Rodriguez, Gurriel is hitting .444. Hernandez and Grichuk have each taken him deep once.
Sanchez has had, to put it plainly, an abysmal year thus far. His 6.22 ERA isn’t even the worst part, as he’s gone just 3-13 on the year as well. That being said, he actually pitched the Red Sox well in his last outing against them in May. He gave up just 2 runs through 6 innings.
Red Sox vs. Blue Jays Betting Odds
The line is currently set at Red Sox -243 Blue Jays +221. The line hasn’t really moved from there. While it’s not a huge payoff, if you’re going to bet this game take the Red Sox. It’s the closest thing to a lock I’ve seen in some time, as Sanchez has just been terrible lately and Rodriguez has been spinning great stuff. The over/under is set at 11 runs. The over has hit with ease in the past two games, so I’d say take it again today.
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