Red Sox vs. Yankees prediction and odds for Sunday, Aug. 20 (Boston completes sweep)
By Peter Dewey
The Boston Red Sox are looking to complete a sweep of the floundering New York Yankees on Sunday afternoon – and they are in a good spot to do it.
Boston comes into this game as a slight underdog on the road against Yankees starter Clarke Schmidt (8-7, 4.76 ERA), but Schmidt is coming off his worst outing of the season, allowing eight runs in 2.1 innings against the Atlanta Braves.
While Boston doesn’t have the offensive firepower that Atlanta does, it has been hot at the dish lately.
The Red Sox rank eight in Major League Baseball in OPS over the last week, and they’ve scored at least eight runs in each of the first two games of this series.
Boston has Josh Winckowski (3-1, 3.20 ERA) on the mound as an opener in this matchup. Here’s a look at the latest odds and my best bet for Sunday’s series finale:
Red Sox vs. Yankees odds, run line and total
Red Sox vs. Yankees prediction and pick
Boston has gotten off to hot starts in each of the first two games of this series, and the team has dominated the Yankees in 2023, winning all but one game against them.
Schmidt has actually been one of New York’s best starters since May, but he’s not really the issue for bettors in this matchup.
Instead, the Yankees’ offense has become a must-fade, ranking 27th in Major League Baseball in OPS over the last 15 days. Not only that, but New York has scored just seven total runs over its last five games against Atlanta and Boston.
Even though the Yankees will tell you they’re still in the playoff hunt, this team’s season is over. After watching Gerrit Cole – the AL Cy Young favorite – get rocked on Saturday, I can’t back New York with a much worse pitcher on the mound.
Boston’s bullpen is going to need to show up considering its using an opener in Wincowski, but I don’t see this team having trouble with a dormant New York offense.
Boston is a great bet to complete the sweep – as an underdog – on Sunday.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
Find Peter Dewey's betting record here.