Free MLB Pick: Athletics vs. Red Sox Odds
Looking for Oakland Athletics vs. Boston Red Sox Free MLB predictions? MLB betting sees the Athletics taking on the Red Sox on Thursday, June 16th, 2022 at Fenway Park in Boston, MA. Cappers Picks provides complimentary expert handicapping picks on all MLB baseball matchups all season long so stay tuned for more FREE daily MLB predictions like this Athletics-Red Sox free pick.
2022 MLB Handicapping
(21-42) Oakland Athletics vs. Boston Red Sox (33-29)
Date: Thursday, June 16th, 2022
Time: 1:35 PM ET
Venue: Fenway Park, Boston, MA
Projected Pitchers: Paul Blackburn (OAK) vs. Rich Hill (BOS)
MLB Moneyline Odds: Athletics +120 / Red Sox -130
MLB run line Betting Odds: Athletics +1.5 (-165) / Red Sox -1.5 (+140)
MLB Baseball Gambling Total: O/U: 9
The Athletics and Red Sox will be finishing off a series with each other on Thursday afternoon.
Paul Blackburn is slated against Rich Hill in this one.
Right now, Boston is a decent size favorite at home with the total sitting at 9 runs.
Oakland Athletics
If we are being totally honest here, the Athletics are just not a very good baseball team at the moment and there are really no other ways to describe it.
People can say they are in a rebuild mode, but what I really do know is they have not put a competitive product out on the field so far and they have a long way to go before they do so again.
With a lot of the key guys that made them good over the years no longer here, they are really devoid of talent on both sides of the field and it shows in the way they play.
Oakland has better hope that a lot of their prospects pan out because that is really their only hope. Given what they have done in the past, they are not going to be the team that spends a lot of money to bring in talent.
Everyone within this organization knew this season was going to be a down one, but they still have to be discouraged by what they have seen. They would have liked to have seen some sort of positivity within the team and there is just not a lot to report.
The lineup lacks depth and power, the rotation is below average at best, and the bullpen is also very shaky. When all of these things are going against a team, it is no mystery as to why they are struggling.
This crew did not start off the series how they would have wished against Boston and they currently are trailing them 6-0 in the 5th inning. The Sox were going to be a big test for them and so far, they have not had a ton of answers.
Jared Koening got hit very hard in the first game of the series and the same happened to James Kaprielian in game 2. Paul Blackburn, who has actually been one of the few bright spots for Oakland this season, will look to have different results when he gets the ball in the finale.
Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox are in the middle of a total season turnaround and they continue to keep on rolling. They are playing like a totally different team at the moment.
It was no secret that Boston did not start off the season how they would have liked and frankly, it did not look too great for them just a little bit ago.
With the kind of players they have, it was fair to assume they would be a little better as the year went on, but there was certainly no guarantee they would be playing this well. How they are playing now has put some shock into folks.
There are many reasons for their improved play and one major one is they are getting production from the hitters they expected to. Devers, Bogaerts, and Martinez have been excellent all season long and are currently some of the hottest hitters in the sport.
Another key has been the starting pitchers giving more length. It is well noted that the bullpen is not a strength of this ball club, so a good idea to follow is to use it as little as possible.
Guys like Pivetta, Wacha, and Hill giving the Sox more length as starters have been huge because it puts less pressure on a pen that has had its struggles. Whether or not it keeps up is another question, but they will take it while they can get it.
In this stretch of excellent play, Boston has taken care of some bad teams, but it still does seem like their overall style of play is different. We will certainly have more answers with this team when they get heavy does of New York, Tampa, and Toronto in what will be a very grueling summer of baseball.
The Sox have looked very good in this series with the A’s and they will look to end it on a high note when Hill takes the mound. The veteran lefty has not been great for the whole year, but he has been better of late.
MLB Baseball Betting Trends:
- The Athletics are 16-37 in their last 53 games as an underdog.
- The Athletics are 14-37 in their last 51 games.
- The Red Sox are 6-0 in their last 6 games as a favorite.
- The Red Sox are 17-4 in their last 21 vs. the AL West.
Oakland Athletics vs. Boston Red Sox MLB Prediction:
The A’s have not given people a lot of reasons to be confident in them and I do not see that changing here.
Blackburn has been sharp this season, but he will still have his hands full with this lineup. He could be decent, but I still trust Boston to get to him and to their lousy pen.
Hill will look to keep up his strong pitching and I do feel that is reasonable with this team he is facing.
I like Boston @ -130 here.
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