The Boston Red Sox will once again square off against AL East rival Toronto Blue Jays this afternoon for the second game of their weekend series. First pitch is scheduled for 3:07 p.m. ET at Rogers Centre in Toronto. Kutter Crawford (2-4, 4.01 ERA) will start for the Sox while Yusei Kikuchi (7-2, 3.75 ERA) will step on the hill for the Jays.
Toronto enters the game as a -165 favorite on the moneyline over at DraftKings Sportsbook, while Boston is a +140 underdog. The run total is set at 9.
Red Sox-Blue Jays picks: Saturday, July 1st
Injury report
Red Sox
Day-to-Day: 2B Enmanuel Valdez (thumb)
Out: RP Joely Rodriguez (shoulder), RP Richard Bleier (shoulder), RP John Schreiber (shoulder), SS Yu Chang (wrist), 2B Pablo Reyes (undisclosed)
Blue Jays
Day-to-Day: CF Kevin Kiermaier (back), RP Yimi Garcia (knee), 3B Addison Barger (elbow)
Out: RP Chad Green (elbow)
Starting pitchers
Krawford went six innings in last Sunday’s loss to the White Sox, yielding four earned runs off five hits. It was his longest outing of the season as he usually logs around three or four frames before the bullpen takes over. He’ll need to be careful today as Blue Jays hitters are collectively batting .378 against him.
Kikuchi is starting to heat up on the mound for the Blue Jays as he has notched back-to-back quality starts. Through 13 innings in his previous two outings, he has recorded 14 strikeouts while yielding just four hits and one earned run in those games. Part of his success can be attributed to him keeping the top of the order off-kilter as only the No. 7 and No. 9 batters are hitting over .300 against him.
Over/Under pick
Both offenses have been limited for the past few days and it was the Blue Jays that were the victims of a 5-0 shutout yesterday. I’d anticipate another relatively low-scoring affair this afternoon as these two division rivals try to gain leverage over one another. Take the under.
Pick: Under 9
Moneyline pick
Toronto’s bats went frigid yesterday as the team produced just three hits in the shutout loss. Today presents a new opportunity for Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and company and they could get hot around the fifth or sixth innings when Crawford turns things over to the bullpen. Take the Jays to even the series.
Pick: Blue Jays