The Boston Red Sox's improbable run has reached absurdity.
The team has won eight in a row and 31 of its last 35, and the most recent victory was the wildest of them all. On Thursday, the Red Sox trailed the White Sox five times, including 4-0 entering the bottom of the third, to beat Chicago 12-11 in 13 innings. With the win, Boston became just the fourth team in the divisional era (since 1969) to go from 14 games under .500 to 12 games over .500 in the same season.
On Friday, the Red Sox will look to continue their magical run when they host the Athletics at Fenway Park. The Athletics are the last team to have beaten Boston, a 4-3 win on July 28.
The Red Sox are big -265 money line betting favorites over the Athletics (+231).
While Red Sox vs. Athletics is the marquee attraction on Friday, there are other MLB betting options on a sporting landscape that includes 15 games. Below is a snapshot of what to watch and bet at the best sports betting apps, for Friday, Aug. 7. All times Eastern.
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MLB best bets, where to watch
Braves at Yankees
Time: 7:05 p.m. | Location: New York | TV: MLB.TV | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine pick -- Model: Braves +121 | Expert: Yankees -152 (Adam Thompson)
New York lefty Max Fried (4-3, 3.12 ERA) faces his former team for the first time when he takes the mound against Atlanta. Fried, 32, went 73-36 from 2017-24 with the Braves. "In [Fried's] three starts since his return from the IL, he's given up four runs on eight hits with 18 strikeouts," Adam Thompson tells SportsLine. Fried squares off against Tyler Mahle (3-9, 5.13), who makes his first start for Atlanta since being acquired from the Giants at the trade deadline. Thompson notes that Mahle is 0-6 with an 8.04 ERA in nine road games this season. However, the SportsLine Projection Model, which simulates every MLB 10,000 times, disagrees. It says that the Braves have a 47% chance to win and assigns a 'C' grade to the Atlanta money line, which is +121, per the latest SportsLine consensus odds and +119 at DraftKings Sportsbook.
Athletics at Red Sox
Time: 7:10 p.m. | Location: Boston | TV: MLB.TV | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine pick -- Model: Under 8.5 | Expert: Boston -1.5 -114 (Adam Thompson)
The hottest team in baseball meets the coldest. While Boston has won eight in a row, the Athletics (45-70) have lost eight straight. Thompson notes that over the last two weeks, the Red Sox's OPS at home is .845 overall and .811 against right-handers. That's bad news for the Athletics, who send righty Jack Perkins (2-7, 6.72) to the mound. [Boston's] Payton Tolle has been solid, and he should get run support as the surging Sox lineup faces Jack Perkins (0-4, 7.44 ERA last seven games) and a bullpen with a 6.26 ERA since mid-July," Thompson tells SportsLine. Meanwhile, the SportsLine Projection Model says that there's a 56.7% chance the teams combine for eight runs or fewer, so it's over/under sports betting pick is Under 8.5, which receives a 'B' grade.
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Twins at Brewers
Time: 7:40 p.m. | Location: Milwaukee | TV: MLB.TV | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine pick -- Model: Brewers -170 | Expert: Brewers -160 (Matt Severance)
Milwaukee, which has the best record (72-43) in the majors, enters the first game of this three-game series with the edge in starting pitching. Lefty Shane Drohan (6-4, 3.48) matches up against Minnesota's Zebby Matthews (4-8, 5.22) in the series opener. Matt Severance notes that Matthews is 2-4 with a 7.33 ERA on the road. That doesn't bode well for the Twins against the Brewers, who are 18 games over .500 at home. "When Zebby pitches away, I fade," Severance tells SportsLine. The SportsLine Projection Model agrees. It says Milwaukee has a 70% chance to win and assigns a 'B' grade to the Brewers money line (-170).
Orioles at Rangers
Time: 8:15 p.m. | Location: Arlington, Texas | TV: Apple TV
SportsLine pick -- Model: Orioles +130
Two teams in the crowded chase for the third and final American League Wild Card spot will collide when Baltimore and Texas battle at Globe Life Field. The Rangers (57-58) occupy the final Wild Card berth with a half-game lead over the Twins and Guardians. The Orioles (56-59) are one game behind. On Friday, Texas will send struggling righty Nathan Eovaldi (10-9, 4.31) to the mound. Over his last five starts, the 36-year-old vet has a 5.67 ERA. He also is coming off one of his worst starts of the season: six earned runs on 10 hits in five innings in a 11-2 loss to the Astros. The SportsLine Projection Model says Baltimore has a 43% chance to win and gives a 'C' grade to the Orioles money line (+130).
Rays at Mariners
Time: 9:45 p.m. | Location: Seattle | TV: Apple TV
SportsLine pick -- Model: Rays -1.5 +173
Tampa Bay (68-46) has the best record in the AL and is 12-4 over its last 16 games, and one of the reasons for the team's success is pitcher Drew Rasmussen (10-5, 2.91). The 31-year-old righty has been lights-out since returning from the All-Star Break, going 3-0 with a 1.00 ERA, 0.83 WHIP and .185 batting average against. On Friday, he takes on a Mariners team that is 5-10 over its last 15 games and has had a disappointing season, one year after being one win away from reaching the World Series. The Rays are 1.5-run spread betting favorites, and the SportsLine Projection Model says the Rays have a 70% to cover and assigns a 'B' grade to the Tampa Bay run line -1.5 (+173).
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