SI Gambling analyst Roy Larking previews Tuesday's MLB betting action and shares the two top picks on his baseball betting card
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Toronto Blue Jays at Boston Red Sox
American League East rivals meet when Toronto visits Boston for the first of a two-game series tonight. Game time for the Blue Jays vs. Red Sox contest is slated for 7:10 p.m. ET at Fenway Park in Boston, Mass. This is the first of 19 scheduled meetings this season. These teams split the series 5–5 last year, and eight or more runs were scored in eight of those contests. Toronto posted a 4–3 record over seven games played in Boston. The Blue Jays won 9–8 and lost 10–8 during the final two meetings in Boston last season. The Red Sox are on an 11–3 roll while the Blue Jays are on a 4–8 slide.
Toronto (7–9) had a day off for travel on Monday. The Blue Jays look to rebound from a 3–1 weekend series loss in Kansas City. The Royals outscored the Blue Jays 12–7 during three wins. Toronto avoided a sweep with a 5–1 win in the first game of a doubleheader on Saturday. Prior to that, Toronto outscored New York 13–10 during a 2–1 series win against the Yankees at home. Toronto has hit 19 home runs over 16 games. Marcus Semien, Bo Bichette, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. have each hit four of them. Following a rough series in Kansas City, the Blue Jays are 4–6 on the road this season.
Boston (10–6) was swept 3–0 by Baltimore at home during their season-opening series. The Orioles outscored the Red Sox by an 18–5 margin. Stepping up on offense, Boston outscored Tampa Bay 26–9 during a three-game sweep at home. That was followed by the Red Sox outscoring the Orioles 27–16 during a 3–0 series win in Baltimore. Boston pushed their winning streak to nine games with three wins in Minnesota. The Twins avoided a sweep with a 4–3 win in the series finale. The Red Sox crushed Chicago 11–4 at Fenway Park yesterday to salvage a 2–2 series split with the White Sox.
Both teams are back at the top of their pitching rotation. After allowing two runs or less, in each of his first three starts, LHP Hyun Jin Ryu (1–1, 1.89 ERA) makes his fourth start for the Blue Jays. He has allowed five runs, on 15 hits with 19 strikeouts, over 19 innings so far this season. LHP Eduardo Rodríguez (2–0, 3.60 ERA) is making his third start for Boston. He allowed all four runs but received lots of support from the Boston offense during a 7–3 win in Baltimore and a 7–1 victory in Minnesota. Betting on the higher-scoring offense, take the moneyline and back the Red Sox to win at home.
Pick: Boston Red Sox (-110) moneyline
Houston Astros at Colorado Rockies
Struggling squads meet when Houston and Colorado begin a two-game series tonight. The first pitch for the Astros vs. Rockies matchup is at 8:40 p.m. ET at Coors Field in Denver, Colo. Part of the MLB interleague schedule, this is the first of four meetings this season. Dating back to the final game of their 2018 season series, Houston has won nine straight against Colorado. The Astros posted 10–8 and 13–6 wins in Colorado and won both meetings 2–1 in Houston during a 4–0 series sweep last season. Despite their recent 1–7 slide, Houston is listed as the favorite on the road in Denver.
Houston (7–8) was strong out of the starting gate as they opened the season with a 6–1 record. The Astros outscored the Athletics 35–9 and won their first four games on the road in Oakland. That was followed by a 7–6 loss and a 4–2 win against the Angels in Los Angeles. Struggling on offense, Houston was outscored 46–21 by Oakland, Detroit, and Seattle over the last eight games. The Astros scored two or fewer runs during five of those contests. Houston has been hit hard by COVID-19 recently. While several players will return during this series, All-Star second baseman José Altuve is doubtful.
Colorado (4–12) faced defending World Series champion Los Angeles during seven of their first 13 games. Winning six of seven games, the Dodgers were red-hot on offense as they outscored the Rockies by a 44–28 margin. In between the two series against Los Angeles, Colorado outscored Arizona 23–13 during a 2–1 series win at home and was swept 3–0 in San Francisco. The Rockies split a doubleheader with the New York Mets at home on Saturday before losing 2–1 in the series finale on Sunday. Colorado scores 4.12 runs per game on offense and allows 4.75 runs on defense.
RHP Luis Garcia (0–0, 2.53 ERA) is making his second start for Houston. He allowed two runs on four hits over 3.1 innings and took a no-decision in the 7-6 loss to the Angels. Garcia held Detroit scoreless over 4.1 innings during a relief appearance on April 12. RPH Jon Gray (1–1, 2.87 ERA) is making his fourth start for Colorado. On five hits over four innings, he gave up three runs during the Rockies 4–2 loss to the Dodgers in his last start. Gray allowed two runs, over 11.2 innings, during his first two starts. A trip to hitter-friendly Coors Field should help the Houston offense get back on track.
Pick: Houston Astros (-136) moneyline
2021 MLB Regular Season Betting Record: 8–14 (-7.69 Units)
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