Red Sox

ESPN hosts a World Series rematch between the Dodgers and Red Sox in Fenway Park. The teams split the weekend series thus far with both teams capturing a blowout victory. The Dodgers will look to further their massive division lead while the Red Sox look to gain ground in the American League East. Here is a sports betting breakdown of tonight’s matchup in Boston.

The Dodgers exploded as +157 underdogs against Chris Sale and the Red Sox on Saturday night. Cody Bellinger tagged a birthday home run as the Dodgers won 11-2 in Fenway Park.

Bellinger’s home run represented one of four Dodger home runs as the Dodgers avenged their Friday defeat to the Red Sox in grand fashion. Tied for the MLB lead in home runs, Bellinger will look to take the lead on Sunday night.

At the time of this writing, the Red Sox and Dodgers are deadlocked at -108 to win on Sunday night on FanDuel Sportsbook. The visiting Dodgers send Hyun-Jin Ryu to the mound while David Price will take the hill for the Red Sox.

Stat of the Night

Thus far in 2019, Hyun-Jin Ryu relinquished the fewest free passes for pitchers throwing more than 100 innings. Ryu issued 10 walks in 109 innings — good for an MLB-best 0.8 BB/9.

On the season, the Red Sox own a 9.4% walk rate. The matchup with Hyun-Jin Ryu will be a stiff test for the patient home team.

Prop Shop – Hunting Home Runs on FanDuel Sportsbook

In 2019, David Price remains pretty effective against left-handed hitters. That said, Price’s peripheral statistics versus righties suggest the Dodgers might find a few more home runs this evening.

Thus far, Price holds an 88.0 MPH average exit velocity against righties and a 38.0 FB%. Fenway Park is not normally an advantageous arena for lefty power — don’t tell that to Cody Bellinger — but remains a strong environment for righties.

Tonight, Justin Turner (53.0 FB%) and Enrique Hernandez (46.1 FB%) are priced at +450 to hit a home run on FanDuel Sportsbook. Both seem to represent strong dart throws given their heavy fly ball lean against left-handed pitching.

Pitching Primer

If looking for holes in Hyun-Jin Ryu’s game in 2019, you may be more successful to search for needles in a haystack. Ryu deserved the nod as the All-Star Game starter for the National League and consistently makes it difficult for opposing hitters.

Previously cited, Ryu’s 0.8 BB/9 makes creating rallies or long innings extremely difficult. The 2.4 BB% coupled with his 23.7 K% is the perfect combination for holding opposing offenses at bay. The Red Sox remain an explosive offense, though, and despite his success, Ryu’s 1.73 ERA will certainly be tested.

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While his opponent is effective against both sides of the plate, David Price is more representative of normal southpaws — death to lefties with challenges against right-handed hitters. Consequently, Price has flashed strikeout ability against righties this season — his 29.2 K% positions Price in the top 20 for pitchers with at least 200 batters faced. Otherwise, Price does not get enough ground balls (40.8%) and gives up too much hard contact (35.9%) versus right-handed hitters.

Expect an extremely right-handed lineup for the Dodgers tonight.

The Pick

With both teams resting at -108 to win the game and the implied run total resting at 9, tonight’s game is difficult. The line needs to be monitored throughout the day with any movement potentially indicating public sentiment.

With a stalwart arm on the mound for the Dodgers, one might consider the prices for the first five innings. At the time of this writing, the Dodgers are +110 to lead after the first five innings of baseball on FanDuel Sportsbook. I will put my units behind Hyun-Jin Ryu and a couple of right-handed shots off of David Price. The Pick — Los Angeles Dodgers Lead After First 5 Innings at +110

(Top Photo: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports)

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