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MLB Betting Preview (Aug. 28): Blue Jays vs. Red Sox predictions
Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox designated hitter Masataka Yoshida (7) hits a double against the Toronto Blue Jays in the ninth inning at Fenway Park.
Photo credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
Greg Warren
Aug 28, 2024, 10:00 EDTUpdated: Aug 28, 2024, 10:45 EDT
The Toronto Blue Jays are back in action Wednesday after the Boston Red Sox snapped their six-game winning streak with a 6-3 victory at Fenway Park on Tuesday night.
Boston rallied for six earned runs on Blue Jays starting pitcher Yariel Rodriguez on Tuesday and used five pitchers to hold Toronto at bay to snap a five-game slide of its own. The win was pivotal for Boston, which is battling for a playoff spot in the American League down the stretch.
Toronto took the first two games of the series as part of a doubleheader (which included the resumption of a suspended game from June) on Monday.
Let’s dive into the game odds for Wednesday’s clash between the Blue Jays and Red Sox courtesy of bet365.

Blue Jays vs. Red Sox odds

Blue Jays Moneyline Odds
+125
Red Sox Moneyline Odds
-150
Runline Odds
Red Sox -1.5 (+130), Blue Jays +1.5 (-155)
Over/Under
Over 9 runs (-115), Under 9 runs (-105)
Time/Date
Aug. 28, 7:10 p.m. ET
TV
Broadcast: Sportsnet, Sportsnet+

Betting Toronto Blue Jays (65-69 SU, 70-64 ATS, 72-59-3 o/u)

Toronto tallied 11 hits on Tuesday and left nine runners on base, including six in scoring position. The Blue Jays had numerous chances to crawl back into the game, but just couldn’t convert hits into runs when it mattered most.
Daulton Varsho and Will Wagner homered for the Jays in a losing cause. Varsho extended his career-best on-base streak to 23 games with a solo blast in the ninth ining, while Wagner went 3-for-4 and launched his first career homer into the Boston bullpen in right field.
In other news, shortstop Bo Bichette has rejoined the team while he continues to rehab his calf injury. He’ll attempt to run the bases this week, and the plan is for him to try and return at some point in September. It’s been a miserable year for Bichette, who has slashed .222/.275/.320 in 80 games this season.

Betting Boston Red Sox (68-64 SU, 60-72 ATS, 69-56-7 o/u)

With the Minnesota Twins losing 8-6 to the Atlanta Braves, the Red Sox closed the gap to four games on the Twins for the final AL Wild Card spot with Tuesday’s win. They have an 18.3% chance of claiming a playoff spot, according to FanGraphs’ projections, and they’ll need to pile on the wins during a relatively easy portion of their schedule. After two more games with Toronto this week, the Red Sox will head to Detroit for three games with the Tigers. They also have a three-game set with the lowly Chicago White Sox looming next weekend at Fenway Park.
Outfielder Jarren Duran is carrying the team on his back right now. He’s slashing .450/.560/1.000 over the last seven days with a pair of homers and two RBIs. He launched his 20th homer of the campaign on Tuesday, cashing in one of our recommended bets at +600 odds.

Probable starting pitchers

Toronto: RHP Chris Bassitt (9-12, 4.41 ERA, 8.69 K/9, 1.42 WHIP)
Bassitt was tagged for four runs on four hits over six innings against the Los Angeles Angels the last time he took the mound. He’s also made two previous starts against Boston this year, holding the Red Sox to four earned runs over 13 innings of work while striking out eight. The veteran right-hander is just 1-5 with an ugly 6.93 ERA in seven starts since the All-Star break.
Boston: RHP Brayan Bello (11-6, 4.95 ERA, 8.51 K/9, 1.43 WHIP)
Bello was having a strong month of August until the Arizona Diamondbacks tagged him for five runs over 5 1/3 innings in his last start. He walked four batters in that game, and he’s issued three or more free passes in each of his four starts this month. Bello has made a pair of starts against Toronto this season, and they’ve yielded contrasting results. In his first outing against the Blue Jays back in June, he threw six innings of two-run ball, but Toronto hammered him for seven runs a week later, and he was pulled in the third inning. Opponents are hitting a lofty .290 off him at Fenway Park this season.

Weather

Forecasts are calling for warm temperatures around 27 C and partly cloudy skies. Winds will blow in from left field at 10 mph.

MLB betting trends

  • Boston holds a 5-3 SU edge in the season series and the over is 5-3 in those meetings.
  • The Blue Jays have covered the runline in 17 of their last 25 games.
  • The Red Sox have hit the first five innings team total over in 21 of their last 34 games.

MLB player prop trends

  • Addison Barger has hit safely in six straight games and eight of his last 10. He’s -220 to get a hit.
  • Masataka Yoshida has hit safely in five straight games and eight of his last 10. He’s -250 to get a hit.
  • Duran has homered in three straight games. He’s +425 to go deep again.
  • Bello has collected five or more strikeouts in four of his last five starts and seven of his last 10. He’s -120 to record over 4.5 strikeouts.
  • Bello has walked two or more batters in six straight starts, averaging 2.83 per game during that span. He’s -190 to record over 1.5 walks.

Blue Jays vs. Red Sox predictions

  • These teams didn’t disappoint bettors with a combined three home runs on Tuesday. The Jays have allowed the most homers in the league (183) and the Red Sox aren’t too far behind with 165 homers allowed. After a day off Tuesday, target Rafael Devers (odds currently off the board) once his odds become available, as he’s launched three homers in 15 career at-bats off Bassitt. On Toronto’s side, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (+550 to homer) is hitting .429 with a 1.000 OPS and a pair of homers in 19 career at-bats against Bello. Bassitt struggles against left-handed hitters, so it might be worth targeting the red-hot Duran (+425) to homer again, too.
  • Over 8.5 runs: -150. Both of these teams have trended towards playing over totals this season, and they’re averaging a combined 9.62 runs per game across their previous eight meetings. The total is set a nine runs, but consider buying the half-run back for some more juice so our bet cashes if the two teams combine for exactly nine runs. We should see some home runs with warm temperatures and these starting pitchers on the mound, so the runs should pile up quickly.

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