The Phillies will be trying to slam their rivals from the other league on Friday, as the Boston Red Sox visit in inter-league play at Citizens Bank Park.
Interleague play kicks off for 2012 and handicappers turn their attention to different stats and trends to find baseball betting edges.
The Phillies will turn to Cole Hamels and his 5-1 record as they look for a win in this one, while the Red Sox send Daniel Bard (2-4) to the hill.
View Boston vs Philadelphia Odds and Stats.
Betting Line:
The Red Sox were listed as +145 underdogs on the baseball moneyline at many online sportsbooks including Sportsbook. The total was set at 7.5 before betting started at shops such as Sportsbook.
Power Rankings:
This game puts the Phillies, most recently No. 7 in the National League Odds Shark MLB Power Rankings, up against the Red Sox, who rate an American League No. 3 in the latest survey.
How They Match Up:
On offense, it's a battle between Philadelphia and its National League No. 7-rated batting order, averaging 4.1 runs per nine innings, against the American League's No. 2 lineup of the Red Sox at 5.4 runs per outing.
Pitching and defensive stats are important baseball handicapping factors and Philadelphia has the National League's No. 7-ranked defense. In the other dugout, the Red Sox own the American League's No. 13 mark in runs allowed.
Last time out for Boston, they were a 5-3 Sportsbook as they battled the Rays on the road. Moneyline bettors who got the Red Sox at +110 were rewarded, while the 8 combined runs moved the game UNDER for totals bettors. The Red Sox enjoyed a 5-3 victory at the expense of the Rays on Thursday, with Felix Doubront throwing 5 2/3 innings of 6-hit ball at Tropicana Field.
The Phillies were an 8-7 Sportsbook in their most recent outing on the road against the Cubs. That made Sportsbooks of bettors who got Philadelphia at -159 on the moneyline, while the total score (15) was good news for OVER bettors. Philadelphia got the job done in their last match in an 8-7 victory over Chicago on Thursday at Wrigley Field behind starter Roy Halladay.
Boston Red Sox Trends:
When playing on Friday are 5-5
Before playing Philadelphia are 6-4
After playing Tampa Bay are 5-5
After a win are 6-4
Philadelphia Phillies Trends:
When playing on Friday are 5-5
Before playing Boston are 5-5
After playing Chi Cubs are 9-1
After a win are 5-5
A few Red Sox at Phillies trends to consider:
Boston is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Boston's last 6 games
Boston is 18-7 SU in its last 25 games when playing Philadelphia
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Boston's last 7 games on the road
Philadelphia is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Philadelphia is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Philadelphia's last 13 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Philadelphia's last 6 games when playing at home against Boston
Next up:
Boston at Philadelphia, Saturday, May 19
