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MLB betting preview (April 8): Blue Jays vs. Red Sox predictions

Boston Red Sox pitcher Garrett Crochet (35) throws the ball during the fourth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

Photo credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

By Greg Warren

Apr 8, 2025, 11:02 EDTUpdated: Apr 8, 2025, 11:23 EDT

After pulling out a 6-2 victory in the series opener on Monday, the Toronto Blue Jays will be back in action Tuesday night against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park.

Toronto snapped a three-game losing streak with Monday’s victory over their American League East rivals in a game that was severely impacted by light rain and very cold temperatures. José Berríos made the start on the mound despite Easton Lucas being the projected starter, throwing seven innings of one-run ball to help secure the win.

Boston had its five-game winning streak snapped by the Blue Jays on Monday, but they will be sending their ace to the mound on Tuesday in an attempt to get back on track.

Let’s dive into the odds for Tuesday’s clash between the Blue Jays and Red Sox courtesy of bet365.

Blue Jays vs. Red Sox odds

Blue Jays moneyline odds	+160
Red Sox moneyline odds	-190
Runline odds	Red Sox -1.5 (+115), Blue Jays +1.5 (-135)
Total	Over 8 runs (+100), Under 8 (-120)
Date/Time	April 8, 6:45 p.m. ET

About the Blue Jays (6-5 SU, 8-3 ATS, 3-8 o/u)

After being held to just three total runs in their three-game weekend series against the New York Mets, the Blue Jays rallied to put up six runs on 13 hits Monday in difficult hitting conditions. Temperatures flirted with the freezing mark throughout the evening, and batters were forced to see pitches through light rain.

The dreadful weather didn’t seem to bother George Springer, though. The veteran outfielder went 4-for-4 with three RBIs to improve his slash line to an incredible .500/.550/.778 this month. He’s now enjoyed six multi-hit games already this season, a major reason why manager John Schneider has elevated him to fifth in the batting order.

About the Red Sox (6-5 SU, 7-4 ATS, 4-6-1 o/u)

The Red Sox fell silent at the plate on Monday after stockpiling 18 runs against the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday night. They were held to just five hits by Blue Jays pitchers. Despite their offensive struggles Monday, the Red Sox are still averaging 5.9 runs per game, which ranks fourth in baseball.

Boston also lost more than just the game Monday, as starting catcher Connor Wong fractured his left pinky finger early when Springer swung on a pitch, and his bat clipped his glove. He’s been placed on injured reserve, so Carlos Narvaez will assume the starting catching duties in the interim. There are reports that Boston will call up Blake Sabol to serve as the backup catcher.

Probable starting pitchers

Toronto: LHP Easton Lucas (1-0, 0.00 ERA, 5.40 K/9)

Lucas was excellent in his first Major League start, holding the Washington Nationals to just one hit over five shutout innings last week. It was the best-case scenario for the 28-year-old southpaw, who filled in for the injured Max Scherzer in Toronto’s rotation. He’ll have a much bigger test against the Red Sox at Fenway Park on Tuesday in a more hitter-friendly venue. Boston is slashing .316/.411/.421 against southpaws this season.

Boston: LHP Garrett Crochet (1-0, 1.38 ERA, 8.31 K/9)

Crochet has certainly looked like an ace in his first two games in a Red Sox uniform, holding the Baltimore Orioles and Texas Rangers, two potent offensive teams, to two total runs over 13 innings while averaging nearly a strikeout per inning. The southpaw relies heavily on his blazing fastball and cutter, two pitches that shouldn’t be drastically impacted by the anticipated cold weather on Tuesday. Seven players on Toronto’s roster have a combined 17 career at-bats against Crochet, but Ernie Clement is the only one to have recorded a hit against him.

Notable injuries

Boston is missing several key pitchers due to injury right now, including Kutter Crawford (knee), Liam Hendriks (elbow), Lucas Giolito (hamstring), and Brayan Bello (shoulder). Designated hitter Masataka Yoshida (shoulder) and Wong (finger) are also on the shelf.

As for the Blue Jays, outfielder Daulton Varsho (shoulder) and pitchers Ryan Burr (shoulder), Erik Swanson (forearm), and Max Scherzer (thumb) are all on the injured list.

Weather

It’s going to be another very cold night at Fenway Park, with temperatures expected to reach the freezing mark by 10 p.m. ET. The winds will also be blowing out to right field at around 26 mph. No rain is forecasted, though.

Blue Jays vs. Red Sox betting trends

The under is 8-0 in Toronto’s last eight games.
The under is 6-1 in the past seven meetings between these teams.
The Red Sox have hit the first five innings team total under in four of their last five games.

Blue Jays vs. Red Sox player prop trends

Trevor Story has hit safely in four straight games and seven of his 10 this season. He’s around -205 to extend that streak Tuesday.
Rafael Devers has driven in at least one run in four straight games and six of his last 10. He’s around -165 to record over 0.5 RBIs.
Springer has recorded over 1.5 hits + runs + RBIs in six of his last seven games, averaging 3.5 per game during that span. He’s around +125 to beat that mark against the Red Sox.

Blue Jays vs. Red Sox predictions

Game total under 8 runs scored: -105 (best odds at NorthStar Bets). The cold weather is going to play a factor for the second straight night at Fenway, which should benefit the pitchers and help keep the ball in the ballpark. These teams combined for zero home runs in Monday’s cold and rainy affair, and that helped the game fall below the 8.5-run total, and we should see another relatively low-scoring affair with Crochet on the mound for Boston on Tuesday. Most sportsbooks have this game total at 7.5 runs, but we’ll pay a little juice to grab the extra half run in this instance so that we can earn a push should the total land exactly on 8. We also have some nice betting trends in our favour, with Toronto playing under the total in eight straight games and the under cashing in six of the past seven meetings between these teams.