Two AL East rivals searching for consistency collide at Fenway Park tonight as the Toronto Blue Jays visit the Boston Red Sox.
Since taking their first two games against the Texas Rangers, the Blue Jays have alternated losses with wins to get to 6-4, good enough for the division lead at this early juncture. They had Monday off following their 4-3 triumph over the Oakland A’s on Sunday afternoon.
The Red Sox (5-5) are fresh off a series split with the Minnesota Twins after dropping their traditional Monday morning Patriots’ Day tilt.
Which club should bettors put their faith in on Tuesday night? Find out in our free MLB picks and predictions for Blue Jays vs Red Sox on Tuesday, April 19.
Blue Jays vs Red Sox odds
This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.
The Red Sox opened as consensus -141 favorites, and the line hasn’t budged more than a few cents one way or the other at most sportsbooks by Tuesday afternoon.
The consensus opening total of 9.5 has been hit down hard at most places, with 9.0 becoming the predominant number. Some 9.5s are still around, albeit with significant juice attached to the Under.
Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right up until kickoff and be sure to check out the full MLB odds before placing your bets.
Blue Jays vs Red Sox predictions
Picks made on 4/19/2022 at 12:30 p.m. ET.
Click on each pick to jump to the full analysis.
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Blue Jays vs Red Sox game info
• Location: Fenway Park, Boston, MA
• Date: Tuesday, April 19, 2022
• First pitch: 7:10 p.m. ET
• TV: Sportsnet, NESN
Blue Jays vs Red Sox betting preview
Starting pitchers
Yusei Kikuchi (0-1, 5.40 ERA): Little went right for the left-handed Kikuchi in his Blue Jays debut last Tuesday. The New York Yankees chased him after 3 1-3 innings and three runs (two earned) on five hits and two walks.
The former NPB standout pitched each of the last three seasons in Seattle, posting a mediocre 4.97 ERA over 265 2-3 innings with the Mariners. Though Kikuchi has earned 10 of his 15 career MLB wins on the road, he actually owns a worse ERA as the visiting pitcher (5.09) compared to his home figure (4.84).
Nathan Eovaldi (1-0, 4.50 ERA): Eovaldi has given up a combined five earned runs over his first two starts of 2022, all via the long ball, as he’s surrendered four homers in that span. But his strikeout/walk ratio is looking good in the early going (13 Ks, two bases on balls), as is his WHIP (1.10).
Eovaldi is fresh off his most productive season based on FanGraphs WAR (5.6).
Weather
Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our MLB weather info.
Key injuries
Blue Jays: Hyun Jin Ryu SP (Out), Teoscar Hernandez OF (Out), Danny Jansen C (Out), Nate Pearson SP (Out).
Red Sox: Chris Sale SP (Out), Kevin Plawecki C (Out), Tanner Houck SP (day-to-day), Josh Taylor RP (Out).
Find our latest MLB injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Blue Jays are 12-5 in their last 17 road games. Find more MLB betting trends for Blue Jays vs. Red Sox.
Blue Jays vs Red Sox picks and predictions
Our side and total predictions are based upon our analysis of the line and total in this game. Our best bet is our favorite pick across all markets.
Moneyline analysis
Bettors should expect the Blue Jays to outslug the Red Sox in their series opener on Tuesday night.
Toronto’s lineup is batting .262 against right-handed pitchers this season — good for fifth in the majors — while tallying an MLB-high 14 home runs. That spells trouble for Boston starter Nathan Eovaldi, who has been bitten by the longball four times through only 10 innings of work. He allowed only 0.7 home runs per nine innings a season ago, but that figure was much higher in 2020 (1.5) and 2019 (2.1).
Bo Bichette and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. have outstanding career numbers against Eovaldi, combining to go 9-for-22 (.409) with two round-trippers and four RBI.
Blue Jays starter Yusei Kikuchi can keep himself mostly out of trouble if he avoids the walk, something that’s not always been easy for him (3.3 per nine innings since 2019). But Boston’s bats haven’t demonstrated much patience at the plate this year, as they’re 28th in walks (25) through 10 games.
Once Kikuchi departs, Toronto’s fourth-rated bullpen by WHIP (1.04) will take over.
The trends suggest the Blue Jays are a good bet here, as they’re 7-3 in their last 10 games against right-handed starters, and 7-2 in their last nine games as a road underdog.
Prediction: Blue Jays ML (+125 at WynnBet)
Over/Under analysis
Considering the wind will be blowing out to center at 10 mph for this game, the betting action on this total is hard to understand. Over bettors should gladly jump in.
There is disaster potential for Kikuchi, who allowed five earned runs on six hits and three walks over 4 2-3 innings in his lone career start at Fenway Park. Xander Bogaerts has taken him deep twice in just six prior at-bats, and J.D. Martinez can claim the same.
The Red Sox also boast All-Star Rafael Devers (.349 average, two homers, seven RBI) in their lineup, which has plated at least four runs in five of their last six contests. The Over is 21-6-2 in Boston’s last 29 home games.
But the Red Sox are not the only team in this tilt that can jump the yard. Toronto is third in baseball in homers (14), with the sensational Vladimir Guerrero Jr. accounting for a club-high five taters and 10 RBI.
Look for this lineup to pounce on a vulnerable Boston pitching staff (4.15 ERA) in this spot.
Prediction: Over 9 (-110 at FanDuel)
Best bet
There’s no reason to overthink this one — a simple Over play looks like a solid wager.
These teams played 15 nine-inning games in 2021 and averaged 11.8 runs per contest. The nine-run threshold was reached in 11 of those tilts.
With some of the most exciting hitters in baseball represented in Beantown tonight — and some uncertainty surrounding the pitchers taking the hill — all indications are that the Over will cash.
Pick: Over 9 (-110 at FanDuel)
