AL Wild Card: New York Yankees Vs. Boston Red Sox Betting Guide

• The OVER 8.0 runs have (-110) odds for this Wild Card battle.
• A run to be scored in the first inning has a (+120) betting line.
• Boston Pitcher Nathan Eovaldi is set to have OVER 5.5 strikeouts with (-120) on the OVER.

BOSTON – The New York Yankees will travel to Fenway Park to take on the Boston Red Sox in the first postseason game of the MLB season. The winner of the game will go on to play the Tampa Bay Rays in the ALDS.

Best Game Line: OVER 8.0 Runs (-110)

When Gerrit Cole is on the mound, the total of a game is going to be lower than usual. However, regulated sports betting sites may have over-adjusted as the track record shows this could be too low.

Cole has faced the Red Sox four times this season and in those games, the total has reached at least eight runs three times. The only game that didn’t hit eight runs was shortened due to weather.

Plus, the Boston offense comes into the game hitting the ball well as they rank top five in BA (.271), OBP (.344), SLG (.469), wOBA (.347), and wRC+ (116) over the last month. Lastly, the Yankees have had a 116 wRC+ on the road since the start of September, showing that traveling isn’t much of a problem for them.

Best Game Prop: Run To Be Scored In First Inning (+120)

Cole, for as good as he is, has struggled in the first inning of games this season. He has a 4.80 ERA in the first inning this year and while Nathan Eovaldi’s ERA in the first inning is a 2.81, he does allow a .276 BA in the opening frame. MLB betting sites may be leaving too much value on the line.

The Red Sox were the third-best team in scoring runs in the first inning by averaging 0.7 runs per first inning on the season. The two pitchers faced each other on September 24 and there were three runs scored in the first inning. A similar result could play out on Tuesday.

Best Player Prop: Nathan Eovaldi Strikeouts, Over 5.5 (-120)

Eovaldi has had at least six strikeouts in nine of his last 10 starts and in five of his six starts against New York. He’s hit this number in 14 of his 16 starts dating back to the start of July, which makes it very interesting that online sportsbooks haven’t set the total higher.

The Yankees also strike out at a high rate. New York had the sixth-highest K% in the regular season at 24.5% and haven’t been much better as of late with their 24.2% and 24.8% strikeout percentage over the last month and two weeks, respectively. Not only is this the best player prop, but it could be the best bet overall for the AL Wild Card game.

The first pitch is set for 8:08 p.m. EST and can be viewed on MLB.TV.

News tags: Boston Red Sox | Gerrit Cole | MLB | Nathan Eovaldi | New York Yankees | Wild Card | World Series