The Boston Red Sox take on the San Francisco Giants in the second game of a three-game series on Saturday, July 29. First pitch is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. ET from Oracle Park. James Paxton (6-2, 3.46 ERA) will take the mound for the Red Sox, while reliever Ryan Walker (3-0, 2.70 ERA) will open for in what figures to be a bullpen game for the Giants.
This one is nearly a pick ‘em on the moneyline at DraftKings Sportsbook, with Boston the -115 favorites and San Francisco coming in at -105. The total is set at 8.
Red Sox-Giants picks: Saturday, July 29
Injury report
Red Sox
Out: C Reese McGuire (oblique), SP/RP Corey Kluber (shoulder), SP Garrett Whitlock (elbow), SP Tanner Houck (facial fracture), SP Chris Sale (shoulder), SS Trevor Story (elbow)
Giants
Out: INF Thairo Estrada (hand), SS Brandon Crawford (knee), RP John Brebbia (lat), OF Mitch Haniger (forearm)
Starting pitchers
James Paxton vs. Ryan Walker
Paxton had a tough outing on the road against the Cubs, allowing six earned runs in three innings. However, he bounced back somewhat with a home start against the Mets. He kept them to two earned runs in six innings and recorded seven strikeouts.
Walker has largely been a reliever all season, so we can expect this to be a bullpen game for the Giants. He had a 2.2-inning start against Oakland recently, and he kept them runless. The Giants’ bullpen ERA is 3.73.
Over/Under pick
Yesterday’s game had a total of 5, and I like the under again here. The Sox’s pitching and defense have kept most of their opponents in check as of late, and they may struggle to run up the score in a bullpen game — the Giants have had recent success with the strategy.
Pick: Under 8
Moneyline pick
The Red Sox won the first game of the series, 3-2. They are currently on a five-game winning streak, and I think they should be able to continue on Saturday. They rank sixth in MLB in runs per game, and while Paxton has had some ups and downs this season, he is 4-2 on the road and should be able to keep things under control.
Pick: Red Sox -115