Toronto Blue Jays vs Boston Red Sox Prediction, Preview and Odds - 08/04/2023

Game Time: 7:10 pm ET, Friday, August 4, 2023

Venue:  Fenway Park, Boston, MA

Where to Watch:  MLB Network

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Blue Jays +124, Red Sox -148; Over/Under:  10 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Blue Jays +124, Red Sox -148; Over/Under:  10 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Blue Jays +124, Red Sox -148; Over/Under:  10 runs

Toronto Blue Jays:  60-49 (3rd place, AL East)

Boston Red Sox:  57-51 (4th place, AL East)

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Toronto Blue Jays:  6-4 last 10

Boston Red Sox:  6-4 last 10

The Blue Jays entered their last series off a loss but won their 3-game series against the Los Angeles Angels 2-1. They enter this game with a 60-49 record overall and have a road record of 30-26. This is the series opener of a 3-game series with the Red Sox on Friday with the series finale of their series against the Baltimore Orioles still to be played on Thursday. They also lost the series opener and the 2nd game of that series on Monday and Tuesday but won the 3rd game on Wednesday. Their offense ranks 11th in the MLB with a .746 OPS. Kevin Gausman is their starting pitcher on Thursday while Alek Manoah is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 2-8 with a 5.87 ERA this season. His team won their last 2 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 1 ER, 0 HR, and 3 BB with 6 Ks on 4 hits through 4.1 IP against the Los Angeles Angels.

The Red Sox are entering this series off a loss and lost their 3-game series against the Seattle Mariners 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 57-51 record overall and have a home record of 30-23. This is the 1st game of a 3-game series with the Blue Jays on Friday and they have Thursday off as a day of rest. Their offense ranks 6th in the MLB with a .763 OPS. Kutter Crawford was their starting pitcher on Wednesday while James Paxton is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 6-2 with a 3.34 ERA this season. His team lost 2 of their last 3 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 1 earned run, 0 homers, and 2 BB with 5 strikeouts on 8 hits through 5 innings played against the San Francisco Giants.

The current betting odds have the Red Sox listed as a favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Red Sox haven't been great over the last week but lately they have been playing a lot better as they are trying to climb the standings in the AL East. They are in 4th with the Blue Jays in 3rd and this will be a huge series for them since they can gain some ground on the Blue Jays at home here. The Blue Jays have been rolling themselves lately but the Red Sox are catching them at the right time as they have fallen into a mini slump over the last week and the Red Sox will be looking to take advantage of them not at their best. The Blue Jays also have Manoah starting in this game and he hasn't been pitching well this season as he really struggled at the start of the season giving up a ton of runs, but even though he has been better now he has still been giving up a lot of runs and the Red Sox do have one of the best offenses in the MLB despite their struggles this season. The Red Sox are also going to have Paxton on the mound here and he has been their best starter this season since he hasn't been giving up many runs in his starts at all. He will continue to pitch well in this home start as the Blue Jays have a really up and down offense that hasn't been hitting well lately and the Red Sox will have an easier time trying to put up runs on Manoah who has struggled all year. The best way to place a bet here is on the Red Sox to win this game.

Blue Jays Red Sox Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Friday, August 4, 2023 (7:10 pm ET start time) is Red Sox 8 Blue Jays 3.

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Toronto Blue Jays: 60-49 (-5.2 units) on the moneyline in all games. 8-22 (-21.8 units) on the moneyline against division opponents. ALEK MANOAH is 11-6 OVER in all games and 5-1 OVER against division opponents.

Boston Red Sox: 57-51 (+6.7 units) on the moneyline in all games. 16-11 (+8.8 units) on the moneyline against division opponents. JAMES PAXTON is 9-5 OVER in all games and 30-18 OVER after giving up 2 earned runs or less in his last 2 outings.

Toronto Blue Jays:  B. Bichette (SS) Out indefinitely - Knee. J. Romano (RP) Mid Aug - Back. O. Lopez (2B) out for season - Oblique. J. Jackson (RP) Out indefinitely - Personal. C. Green (RP) Mid Aug - Elbow. A. Cimber (RP) Late Aug - Shoulder.

Boston Red Sox:  T. Story (2B) Mid Aug - Elbow. J. Turner (DH) Ques Fri - Heel. G. Whitlock (RP) Mid Aug - Elbow. J. Rodriguez (RP) Out indefinitely - Hip. C. Kluber (SP) Out indefinitely - Shoulder. K. Ort (RP) Early Sept - Elbow. C. Sale (SP) Mid Aug - Shoulder. W. Mills (RP) out for season - Elbow. T. Houck (SP) Out indefinitely - Face. Z. Kelly (RP) Early Sept - Elbow. A. Mondesi (SS) Out indefinitely - Knee.

“That was happiness, genuine happiness. Obviously, it’s no secret it’s been a hard stretch for me.” - George Springer after their win against the Orioles in their game on Wednesday.

“It's a tough one, but we're going home and we've got a good stretch coming up. Two walk-off losses (in San Francisco) and two tough games here. We didn't play great baseball.” - Alex Cora after his team’s loss against the Mariners in their game on Wednesday.

Whit Merrifield (R) 2B

Brandon Belt (L) 1B

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (R) DH

George Springer (R) RF

Matt Chapman (R) 3B

Danny Jansen (R) C

Daulton Varsho (L) LF

Paul DeJong (R) SS

Kevin Kiermaier (L) CF

Jarren Duran (L) LF

Alex Verdugo (L) RF

Masataka Yoshida (L) DH

Rafael Devers (L) 3B

Adam Duvall (R) CF

Triston Casas (L) 1B

Christian Arroyo (R) 2B

Connor Wong (R) C

Yu Chang (R) SS

Batting Average:  Ernie Clement (.500)

Hits:  Bo Bichette (144)

Home Runs:  Vladimir Guerrero (17)

RBI:  Vladimir Guerrero (66)

Stolen Bases:  Whit Merrifield (21)

Wins:  Chris Bassitt (10)

Saves:  Jordan Romano (28)

ERA:  Jay Jackson (0.53)

Batting Average:  Jarren Duran (.311)

Hits:  Masataka Yoshida (113)

Home Runs:  Rafael Devers (25)

RBI:  Rafael Devers (76)

Stolen Bases:  Jarren Duran (23)

Wins:  Brayan Bello (8)

Saves:  Kenley Jansen (24)

ERA:  Mauricio Llovera (0.00)

Managers:

Toronto Blue Jays: John Schneider (2nd season)

Boston Red Sox: Alex Cora (5th season, 3rd consecutive)