The Oakland Athletics are not exactly the sexiest team in the MLB but they have had their way with the apple of many a baseball pundit’s eye – the Boston Red Sox. The A’s have won four of five games against the Red Sox this season, which includes outscoring the BoSox 18-9 in the last four. Can the A’s continue to topple the Red Sox and climb above .500 when the two teams close out their series Wednesday?
- Chris Sale has allowed just 19 hits while recording 37 strikeouts in his last 5 starts.
- The Red Sox are 6-0 SU in their last 6 games when closing out a series.
- Jed Lowrie is slashing .337/.375/.618 in 22 games on the road this season.
Well, the A’s are going to have a massive hill to climb in the name of Chris Sale. The Red Sox ace is coming off a stellar complete-game, 15-strikeout performance against the Toronto Blue Jays in his most recent outing. In Sale’s last five starts, he has almost twice as many strikeouts (37) as hits allowed (19) while pitching at least 7.0 innings four times.
Trevor Cahill will return from the DL to start for the A’s in this one after the righty missed his most recent start due to an issue with his throwing elbow. The 30-year-old has been surprisingly dependable for the Athletics, as he has a 2.25 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP in his four starts. Cahill is also whiffing batters at the highest rate of his career with 11.6 strikeouts per nine innings on the season.
Sportsbook Odds & Computer Pick
The visiting Oakland Athletics were +239 moneyline underdogs in this one earlier in the day at most online sportsbooks including Sportsbook. The total was 8.5 at Sportsbook for those preferring OVER/UNDER betting.
OddsShark prediction models pick the Athletics to win this game 4.6-3.1. View the computer score prediction and who will win the pick on the moneyline for all upcoming MLB matchups here.
Oakland Athletics vs Boston Red Sox Matchup
Team Betting Records & Power Rankings
The Boston Red Sox bring a 28-14 record to the battle against the 21-21 Athletics. Stay Informed: follow us on Twitter for odds specials, betting line moves and Boston vs Oakland injuries news.
This game puts the Red Sox, most recently No. 15 in OddsShark MLB Power Rankings, up against the Athletics, who rate a No. 27 in the latest survey.
Statistical Matchup
The game also pits the Boston Red Sox' No. 3-rated offense, averaging 5.38 runs per game, against an Oakland Athletics defense that ranks No. 23 at 4.86 in runs allowed per game. The Red Sox have averaged 9.57 hits per game so far, more than Athletics batters have averaged on the year (8.6 hits per game).
Defensively, Oakland features the No. 24-rated defense on the road, allowing 5.36 runs per game. Boston, meanwhile, comes in at No. 1 at home, scoring 6.47 runs per game.
Recent Outings Betting Recap
Oakland rolled to a 5-3 win against Boston on Tuesday, as Daniel Mengden and the Athletics' bats led the team to victory at Fenway Park.
- Oakland is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
- Oakland is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
- Oakland is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Boston
- Oakland is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Boston
- Boston is 7-16 ATS in its last 23 games
- The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Boston's last 6 games
- Boston is 1-7 ATS in its last 8 games at home
- Boston is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Oakland
Next Betting Matchups
Oakland at Toronto, Thursday, May 17
Boston home to Baltimore, Thursday, May 17
