Blue Jays picks vs. Red Sox: June 18

Blue Jays picks and props vs. Red Sox June 18: Bet on Bassitt, Houck to deliver pitchers' duel

Chris Bassitt has a 2.25 ERA in eight starts since May began. Photo by Christopher Katsarov/CP.

Jordan Horrobin

June 18, 2024

The Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays are back at it again tonight for the second matchup of a three-game series.

The pregame narrative: Tanner Houck and Chris Bassitt are both doing some of their best work right now, which is why I like the under as my best bet. Even so, Rafael Devers is a hitter I want to target on the prop market.

Check out the best Blue Jays picks vs. the Red Sox for June 18.

Blue Jays picks vs. Red Sox

Go to full Blue Jays/Red Sox MLB betting markets.

Best bet: Under 8 runs (-120)

The over was my best bet yesterday and it cashed with ease. But it's a new day and a new pitching matchup.

Houck (7-5, 2.08 ERA) has been among the best pitchers in baseball this season. He ranks third in the AL Cy Young odds (+1,300), posting the lowest FIP in the majors (2.21).

The 2017 first-rounder has pitched into the sixth inning or later in all 14 starts, and he's allowed three or fewer earned runs in three of them.

Houck isn't an elite strikeout pitcher. Instead, he uses a slider/sinker/splitter combo to get batters to pound the ball into the dirt. That's not a bad strategy against a Jays team that has the second-lowest whiff rate in MLB (21.6%), per Baseball Savant.

On the other side, Bassitt (6-6, 3.56 ERA) has been just as good as Houck in recent outings.

Since the start of May, Bassitt has a 2.25 ERA and a .566 opponent OPS in eight starts. This under is 4-3-1 in those outings, and two of the overs finished at exactly nine runs.

Yesterday's 10-run total was buoyed by six home runs. I expect Houck and Bassitt to keep the ball in the yard — and often on the ground — to contribute to a low-scoring game.

Key stat: Bassitt has only allowed one HR in his past eight starts. Houck has allowed just two HRs all season.

Quick pick

Devers over 0.5 RBI (+135): In his past 30 games, Devers has driven in 24 RBI and posted a 1.005 OPS from the cleanup spot. Those are some seriously encouraging numbers if you're looking to cash an RBI prop.

The baby-faced third baseman ranks in the 88th percentile or better in barrel rate, xSLG and average exit velocity — and he has multiple RBI in three straight games.

Devers is 3-for-8 in his career against Bassitt and all three hits went for extra bases (one double, two HRs).

Picks made at 9:30 a.m. on 06/18/24.

All odds shown in this article are from Northstarbets.ca: The odds presented in this article are sourced from Northstarbets.ca, the producer of this content. Please note that odds may vary and are subject to change. Odds units and offers are advertisements and promotions from Northstarbets.ca: Any odds units and offers mentioned within this content are advertisements and promotions provided by Northstarbets.ca. These promotions are subject to terms and conditions, and readers are encouraged to review them before participating. This blog and article is owned and controlled by Northstarbets.ca: This blog and article are owned and controlled by Northstarbets.ca and are intended for commercial purposes. The content is created to provide statistics & analysis for global sporting events, highlight odds and offers available on Northstarbets.ca and may contain promotional material.