Fenway Park hosts an MLB battle between the Boston Red Sox and the visiting Toronto Blue Jays on Friday.

Aaron Laffey gets the ball in front of a hostile crowd for the Blue Jays on this day; he's 1-1 on the season. The Red Sox, meanwhile, will counter with Josh Beckett, who will be looking to improve on his 5-7 mark.



View Toronto vs Boston Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
Baseball odds makers opened the Red Sox as -185 moneyline favorites in this matchup. Over under bettors saw the number open at 9.5.

Power Rankings:
The Red Sox sit at No. 6 in the American League in the current MLB power poll here at Odds Shark, while the Blue Jays sit at an American League No. 9 on the same chart.



How They Match Up:
At the plate, Boston owns the No. 2 ranking for hits in the American League at 9.4 per game. By contrast, the Blue Jays are rated No. 10 in the same category at 8.6 per game.

Pitching and defensive stats are important baseball handicapping factors and Boston has the American League's No. 8-ranked defense. In the other dugout, the Blue Jays own the American League's No. 12 mark in runs allowed.

In their last action, Toronto was a 6-0 loser on the road against the Yankees. Bettors on New York at -164 on the moneyline collected their winnings from that game, while the total score (6) sent UNDER bettors home happy as well. The Blue Jays were shut out in their last start, struggling to get much going against the New York staff and losing 6-0 to the Yankees on Wednesday at Yankee Stadium.

Boston won its last outing, a 3-1 result against the White Sox on July 19. Bettors who backed the Red Sox at -146 on the moneyline won on the day, and the total score (4) sent UNDER bettors to the payout window. Boston looks to continue its winning ways following a victory last time out against the White Sox, a 3-1 final on Thursday in support of Clay Buchholz at Fenway Park.


Toronto Blue Jays Trends:
When playing on Friday are 3-7
Before playing Boston are 3-7
After playing NY Yankees are 5-5
After a loss are 4-6

Boston Red Sox Trends:
When playing on Friday are 6-4
Before playing Toronto are 6-4
After playing Chi White Sox are 7-3
After a win are 3-7

A few Blue Jays at Red Sox trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Toronto's last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Toronto's last 6 games on the road
Toronto is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Boston
Toronto is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games
Boston is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
Boston is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games when playing at home against Toronto
Boston is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games at home
Boston is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Toronto


Next up:
Toronto at Boston, Saturday, July 21