A star-studded interleague matchup hits Dodger Stadium tonight as the Los Angeles Dodgers host the Boston Red Sox.
The pregame narrative: If the season ended today, both the Dodgers and Red Sox would be headed to the postseason. L.A.'s superstar-laden lineup gives it the edge, though, and I'm backing two of its best bats to come through on Friday.
Check out the best Red Sox vs. Dodgers props on July 19.
Red Sox vs. Dodgers props
Go to full Red Sox/Dodgers MLB betting markets.
Best Bet: Shohei Ohtani over 1.5 bases (-113)
In case you needed a reminder that Ohtani is that dude, he provided the goods with a 400-foot blast in Tuesday's all-star game.
The heavy favourite to win NL MVP was just picking up where he left off after a dazzling first half for the Dodgers, which included an MLB-high 235 bases and NL highs in home runs (29) and OPS (1.036).
Ohtani has gone over 1.5 bases in 52 of 94 games (55.31%). It's uncommon to see minus odds for the over on a bases prop, but he's earned it.
At -113, the implied probability of Ohtani cashing this bet is 53.05%.
With that said, Ohtani is a reasonable bet to go over 1.5 bases in an average matchup — and tonight's meeting with Nick Pivetta is better than that.
Pivetta (4-6, 4.18 ERA) has been solid for Boston this season, but he's not trending in the right direction. Over his past six outings, he has a 5.18 ERA and a .785 opponent OPS.
What's worse — or better, for our purposes — is that Ohtani has tagged Pivetta in the past. The two-time MVP is 4-for-9 with a double and two homers against Pivetta.
Ohtani is as capable as anyone of cashing this bet in one swing. But from the Dodgers' leadoff spot, he'll have a nice opportunity for a multi-hit game, too.
Key stat: In his past 25 games, Ohtani has cashed this bases prop 16 times
Quick pick
Freddie Freeman over 0.5 RBI (+155): Ohtani isn't the only Dodger who's on the right side of the head-to-head matchup against Pivetta.
Freeman has the most experience against Pivetta among L.A. hitters, as well as some of the best. The first baseman is 12-for-33 (.364) with three doubles, a triple and a home run.
With a little over two months to play, Freeman is on track for his third consecutive 100-RBI season. That's partially because he's really good and partially because his teammates excel at getting on base.
L.A.'s No. 3 hitter has the third-most plate appearances with runners in scoring position (133). He's catching Pivetta at a good time and has already had plenty of success in this matchup.
Picks made at 1:25 p.m. on 07/19/24.
