The Red Sox edged the Yankees 3-1 in the first game of their Wild Card series on Tuesday evening in a great pitching matchup between the big offseason acquisitions for the two AL East rivals. The series continues on Wednesday as the Yankees look to avoid elimination and force a Game 3 on Thursday, while the Red Sox will try to eliminate their archenemy and advance to the ALDS to face the Blue Jays, who won the division on the final day of the season.
The Red Sox have won 10 of the 14 matchups between these two teams this season, but the Yankees would seem to have the starting pitching advantage as they send Carlos Rodon to the mound to take on Brayan Bello on Wednesday night.
DraftKings Sportsbook has your betting needs covered for Game 2, which gets going at 6:08 p.m. ET. There are literally hundreds of prop bets available, so let’s zero in on a few of my favorite options for another great matchup in Game 2.
Red Sox vs. Yankees Prop Bets for Game 2
Brayan Bello 3+ earned runs allowed (-105)
Bello had a dominant stretch for the Red Sox and looked like he realizing his potential to be a true front-line starter. In late July and August, he allowed two earned runs or fewer in five of six starts, including a seven-inning performance in the Bronx in which he beat the Bombers by holding them to three hits and no runs.
However, the 26-year-old stumbled a little down the stretch. He allowed at least three runs in each of his last five starts, with a 5.40 ERA, including his last start against the Yankees. He was at home in Fenway for that outing but gave up four runs on five hits in five frames while taking the loss.
Overall, he has allowed 3+ earned runs in 10 of his last 20 starts. With the Yankees’ power potential and ability to pile up runs quickly, Bello could pitch pretty well and actually still end up over this run line. With a one-game lead, the Sox can give him a little leash, and I don’t expect them to give him a quick hook.
Getting this at almost even money makes it one of my top Red Sox Yankees prop bets for Game 2.
Cody Bellinger & Ben Rice – 4+ Combined Total Bases (+126)
I included Bellinger in my top home run props of the day, and if he goes yard (or Bregman does) this prop can be over in one swing. However, there are so many paths to success with combined props like this one.
Lefties have hit .232 against Bello this season, but they have 18 of the 23 doubles against him, the only triple against him, and nine of the 16 home runs against him. Overall, they have a .305 wOBA and a .302 wOBA on the road.
Bellinger is 4-for-10 with a pair of homers against Bello in the past, while Rice is 3-for-11 with a double.
Both lefties had a tough task against Garrett Crochet, but should be in for better nights on Wednesday. Bellinger had 27 total bases in his last 20 games, while Rice had 39 in his last 19 games before the playoffs started.
Nick Sogard 2+ H/R/RBI (+188)
If you want to be safer, you can take Sogard for just over 0.5 HRR for -134, which is a better way to go for parlays, where higher odds are already in play. However, as a standalone option in my Red Sox Yankees prop bets, I love his juicy odds to get multiple hits, runs and RBI (HRR).
I included Sogard in my top MLB DFS plays of the day after he went 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI for a total of three HRR in Game 1. The 28-year-old switch-hitter hit .260 in 30 games with 47 HRR (1.6 per game). Since many of those games were as a pinch hitter or defensive replacement, his average was even higher. In his 24 starts, he had 24 hits, 12 runs scored, and six RBI for 1.8 HRR per start.
He hit .371 in his limited sample size against lefties in the majors this year, and he’ll be in a good spot against Carlos Rodon in Game 2. He didn’t face Sogard in the regular season, but if Alex Cora rides the hot hand and gives Sogard another shot, he has a good shot at delivering great value in this prop.
