The Boston Red Sox will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing six-game road trip when they play host to the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday night as -129 moneyline favorites at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Boston opens a nine-game homestand with Monday’s Blue Jays vs. Red Sox betting matchup at Fenway Park, following a six-game road trip to Baltimore and Tampa Bay in which they went 2-4, including a brutal 18-7 blowout loss at the hands of the Orioles on Sunday.
The Red Sox are now 3-6 in their last nine games and start the week one game behind the surprising Rays and New York Yankees, who currently share the top spot in the American League East division standings.
Starter Joe Kelly is expected to take the mound for the Red Sox on Monday. Kelly is 1-0 on the season, but was rocked in his most recent start, allowing five earned runs in five innings in a 7-5 loss to Tampa, inflating his ERA to 4.08.
Kelly was strong in his only previous start against the Blue Jays last August, spreading three hits across six innings to avoid earning the loss in a 5-2 Toronto victory.
The Jays arrive in Boston after being swept in their weekend series in Tampa. Toronto was outscored 21-6 in three losses to the Rays, dropping them to 5-8 in their last 13 games.
Rookie Aaron Sanchez is scheduled to get the start for Toronto on Monday. The highly-touted 22-year-old picked up his first win of the season in his last start, giving up just two hits in a 4-2 victory over the Orioles, and will be facing Red Sox bats for the first time in his career.
Following their three-game set with Toronto, the Red Sox welcome the Yankees to Fenway Park for a three-game weekend series. The Yankees have rocketed to the top of the AL East standings with eight wins in their last 10 contests, boosting their odds to win the World Series to a respectable 25-1 after opening the season at 33-1.
Despite their struggles, the Red Sox continue to sit among the favorites in MLB futures betting at the sportsbooks, joining the defending AL champion Kansas City Royals at 12-1 after opening at 10-1.
The Los Angeles Dodgers have emerged as 15-2 favorites in World Series betting, despite winning just two of their last six games. The early favorite Washington Nationals hang tough at 9-1, followed by the Detroit Tigers and the St. Louis Cardinals, who are deadlocked at 10-1.
Thumbnail photo via Kim Klement/USA TODAY Sports Images
