Marlins vs Red Sox MLB Betting + Handicapping Picks
Two streaky teams square off in this Interleague series finale Thursday night in Boston. Both Miami and Boston have looked great at times this year and looked terrible at times this year.
Miami Marlins vs. Boston Red Sox MLB Betting Preview
Starting Pitchers: Miami (Zambrano) vs. Boston (Matsuzaka)
Date/Time: June 21, 7:10 p.m. EST
MLB Gambling Odds from BetOnline
Moneyline: Boston (-129) Miami (+119)
Runline: Red Sox -1.5 (+150) vs. Marlins +1.5 (-170)
Total: 10
Miami was 21-8 in May, but they are back below .500 once again.
Boston is last in the tough AL East, but they are a game above .500.
Miami made a big splash by picking up Jose Reyes during the offseason, but he hasn’t been nearly as good as expected so far this season.
Reyes is hitting just .270 with only 2 home runs in 2012. Hanley Ramirez is struggling as well, and he has only a .259 average. Omar Infante leads the team in hitting, and he has a mediocre .280 batting average. Giancarlo Stanton has been hot in the past month after starting slowly.
Still, overall the Marlins offense has been a major disappointment. Miami is 28th in the majors in runs scored per game at 3.64 runs per contest. The starting pitching has been great, but the bullpen has cost this team a lot of games.
Boston has been knocking the cover off the ball despite missing Jacoby Ellsbury and Carl Crawford this season. [dfads params=’groups=10&limit=1&return_javascript=0′]
Dustin Pedroia aggravated his thumb injury and missed Wednesday’s game. He is listed as questionable for this contest. David Ortiz leads the team with a .314 average and 17 home runs so far this year. Youngsters Daniel Nava and Will Middlebrooks have provided more than this team could have ever hoped for and they look like future stars.
Dice-K makes his third start of the year in this one. Matsuzaka has struggled a bit with his command in his first two starts this year, but that is to be expected after missing an entire year due to injury.
Both of these pitchers are inconsistent, but I believe 10 is too high of a number here.
The Marlins offense has disappointed all year, and Zambrano has been good this season.
Look for a lower scoring game than many expect.
MLB Free Pick: Under 10
