Red Sox Odds: Boston Gets Price Adjustment Following Sweep Of Orioles
Tampa Bay also dropped two of three to Minnesota
The Boston Red Sox did what they were supposed to over the weekend.
They bashed the Baltimore Orioles 30-5 over a much-needed three-game sweep at Fenway Park. Sox fans caught their first glimpse of Kyle Schwarber and got a true taste of how the starting rotation could look down the stretch without Martín Pérez and Garrett Richards.
Nick Pivetta, Chris Sale and Eduardo Rodriguez allowed only three earned runs in 17 collective innings with 22 strikeouts and five walks. We all know Baltimore (38-78) stinks, but three straight wins were a breath of fresh air for a Boston club that had lost 11 of 14.
And thanks to the Minnesota Twins taking two of three against the first-place Tampa Bay Rays, the Red Sox are only three games back in the division with 42 left to play.
Boston was as high as +525 ($100 wins $525) to win the American League East on Friday morning, but American bookmakers have made the necessary adjustments. Most shops are currently dealing the Sox around +350 or +375 and PointsBet has the juiciest price at +425.
Red Sox odds to win AL East
DraftKings +330 ($100 wins $330)
BetMGM +350
Caesars +350
FanDuel +350
FOX Bet +375
SugarHouse +400
PointsBet +425 ($100 wins $425)
"I bought more Red Sox stock at 5-to-1 the morning of (Chris) Sale's first start," one professional bettor told NESN. "Two weeks prior, Boston was favored to win the division. You don't usually see a price swing from -140 or so to 5-to-1 in such a short period of time. That rotation is exceptionally better with Sale and Tanner Houck and they've got seven more games with Tampa."
Baseball Reference is still bullish on the Rays to win 96 games and the Sox to win 92. Its projections give Tampa Bay a 73 percent chance to win the AL East.
Up next, the Sox head to the Bronx for a massive three-game set against the New York Yankees. Boston will be a slight series favorite due to expected matchups against Luis Gil and Jordan Montgomery and there's a strong possibility the good guys take two of three. A Sox sweep would likely put the Yankees out of their misery.
If you still believe Boston can finish in first place, 4-to-1 is there for the taking.
