Cubs vs Red Sox Odds
| Chicago Cubs Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Moneyline | Over/Under | Run Line (Spread) |
-112 | 7.5 -115o / -105u | -1.5 +145 |
| Boston Red Sox Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Moneyline | Over/Under | Run Line (Spread) |
-108 | 7.5 -115o / -105u | +1.5 -175 |
Two of the legendary franchises in Major League Baseball meet up at Fenway Park on Friday, as the Chicago Cubs look to stay hot against the Boston Red Sox. The starting pitching matchup is a good one, with Shota Imanaga of the Cubs facing Kutter Crawford of the Sox. Notably, both pitchers carry an ERA below 1.
The Cubs sit a half-game out of first place in the National League Central behind the Milwaukee Brewers, while the Red Sox sit in the middle of the highly competitive American League East race.
Where does the betting value lie in this one? Let's dive into my Cubs vs Red Sox prediction as we take a look at the MLB odds for Friday, April 26.
Chicago Cubs
The Cubs pulled off an impressive home sweep of the struggling Houston Astros, allowing six total runs in the three victories.
Chicago improved to 10-3 at Wrigley Field, but Craig Counsell's team has posted a 6-6 record away from the North Side.
The Cubs head into Beantown tonight with a 1-3 mark in road series openers, although they won in their last opportunity at Arizona in extra innings on April 15.
Left-hander Shota Imanaga has turned into the ace of this staff, at least with Justin Steele currently sidelined. Imanaga has put together a 3-0 record in four starts along with an ERA of 0.84. However, Imanaga has finished under his strikeout total in each of his last three outings since punching out nine batters in his debut against the Rockies.
The Cubs' bullpen has stepped up lately, allowing one run in the last three games. The relief staff has yielded a total of one run in Imanaga's four starts.
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Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox return to Fenway Park after dropping two out of three games at Cleveland, finishing their six-game road swing at 4-2.
Boston hasn't been solid at home with just a 3-7 record, which includes getting outscored, 20-1, in three series-opening losses.
Kutter Crawford has jumped out to an impressive start in the opening month of the season, allowing two earned runs in five outings. Crawford received four no-decisions before picking up his first victory of the season at Pittsburgh as a short underdog, giving up one run in six innings of work.
In two home outings, Crawford didn't give up a single run against the Orioles and Guardians, but the Red Sox somehow lost both times. Boston blew a 5-0 lead in a 7-5 loss to Baltimore, while Cleveland scored six runs in the final three innings of a 6-0 victory.
Since the All-Star break last season, the Red Sox own a dreadful 1-8 record in Crawford's last nine home starts.
Crawford shut down the Cubs last season at Wrigley Field in an 11-5 triumph. He allowed one hit in six scoreless innings while striking out nine batters.
Cubs vs Red Sox
Betting Pick & Prediction
Both of these starting pitchers have been fantastic so far, but both teams have also struggled in series openers this season.
However, Boston's inability to score in home series openers has been a problem, while Chicago has won four of its last five road games.
Let's back the Cubs here to grab the Game 1 win at Boston.
