Pittsburgh Pirates vs Boston Red Sox Betting Preview
Sportsmemo MLB handicapper Eric Pauly offers his Pittsburgh Pirates vs Boston Red Sox betting preview for Thursday, August 18. The Red Sox return to .500 with still hopes of sneaking into the AL Wildcard. Pirates are last in the NL Central.
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Thursday, August 18 | MLB Betting Notes, Courtesy of Caesars |
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Moneyline: | Pittsburgh Pirates +130 vs Boston Red Sox -155 |
Runline: | Pirates +1.5 (-130) / Red Sox -1.5 (+110) |
Total: | 8.5 Runs (Over -110 / Under -110) |
Game Time: | 7:05pm ET / 4:05pm PT |
Where: | PNC Park in Pittsburgh, PA |
Weather: | 75 Degrees / Clear |
Pittsburgh Pirates vs Boston Red Sox Analysis
On Thursday night, the Red Sox and Pirates face off for the final game of a three-game series. The Red Sox have won both games so far, and this will be the final time these two teams meet this season.
Josh Winckowski will make the start for Boston and JT Brubaker gets the nod for Pittsburgh. The Sox are -149 road favorites, the run line is 1.5, and the total is set at 8.5 runs.
Red Sox Return To Winning Ways
The Red Sox have fallen to last place in the AL East standings, but they are not entirely out of the race just yet. Boston is just four games back of a Wild Card spot and they have the postseason on their minds. The Red Sox are 5-5 in their last 10 games, they are 30-29 on the road, and they are 28-34 covering the run line as a favorite.
Josh Winckowski will make the start for the Red Sox tonight on the road in Pittsburgh. In 11 starts this season, Winckowski is 5-5 with a 4.69 ERA, a 4.95 FIP, and a 1.49 WHIP. In his last three starts, he has allowed six runs on 17 hits over 15.2 innings of work.
The Red Sox are 2-2 in his road starts this season and his road starts have gone under this total in 3 out of 4 games. In 22.1 innings on the road this year, Winckowski has a 2.82 ERA, a .250 batting average against, a 3.38 FIP, and a 1.21 WHIP.
Pirates Want To Play Spoiler
The Pirates are out of playoff contention, so they are looking to build any kind of momentum possible for next season. Pittsburgh can happily play spoiler for other teams looking to make a stretch run, but they are out of the race. The Pirates are 45-72 on the year, they are 2-8 in their last 10 games, and they are 53-50 covering the run line as an underdog this season.
JT Brubaker will make the start for the Pirates tonight at home. In 22 starts this year, Brubaker is 2-10 with a 4.45 ERA, a 3.80 FIP, and a 1.50 WHIP.
In his last three starts, Brubaker has allowed 12 runs on 23 hits over 13.1 innings of work. At home this year, Brubaker has a 5.44 ERA, a .491 slugging percentage against, a 4.59 FIP, and a 1.60 WHIP.
The Pirates are 5-3 in games Brubaker has started at home, but Pittsburgh did not cover the run line in any Brubaker’s home starts that they lost. The Pirates have the 26th best OPS in August and they have the 29th best OPS against the AL this season.
Pittsburgh Pirates vs Boston Red Sox Prediction
This game means a hell of a lot more for Boston than it does for Pittsburgh, so Boston has an edge there. The Sox opened as bigger favorites, but the line has moved against them.
I like Brubaker, the Pirates’ starter, but he has been worse at home this season. Despite the movement against Boston, I would ride the Sox on the moneyline today in Pittsbugh.
Prediction: Boston Red Sox -150 Moneyline
Interested in placing a bet on Thursday’s Pittsburgh Pirates vs Boston Red Sox National League clash? Caesars Sports is offering up to a $1,500 match bet for first-time deposits in New Jersey, West Virginia, Colorado, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Virginia, Tennessee, Arizona, New York and Louisiana.
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First Pitch | MLB Predictions for Thursday, August 18
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Meet the Author
Eric Pauly, @slimeaction on Twitter, graduated from Binghamton University with a degree in Finance. Eric is a die-hard Washington Commanders and New York Knicks fan and enjoys watching and writing about the NFL, NBA and MLB. His favorite gambling movements include hitting a +1000 future on Washington to win the NFC East in 2020 and predicting Jonathan Taylor’s breakout season with a +900 ticket for him to win the 2021 NFL rushing title. Aside from the sports betting industry, Eric also enjoys good eats, dynasty fantasy football leagues, daily fantasy sports and playing the guitar.
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