Yankees’ Rodriguez bids farewell to Fenway
Boston manager John Farrell won’t have a full complement of players for tonight’s series finale against the Yankees. Meanwhile, the New York crowd is concentrating on one person.
Alex Rodriguez’s penultimate contest in pinstripes begins at 7:10 p.m. ET. Online sports book BetDSI gives the Red Sox odds of -122 to prevail here. Conversely, Joe Girardi’s troops are regarded as +112 underdogs. The over/under run total rests at nine.
Rodriguez hasn’t started since July 30, but he’ll receive that opportunity vs. Eduardo Rodriguez. The lefty slides into the rotation spot vacated by knuckleballer Steven Wright, who continues to battle right shoulder inflammation. In five career clashes with the Bronx Bombers, Rodriguez boasts a 4-1 mark with a 2.01 ERA.
Those expecting No. 13 to clear the Green Monster one more time may wind up disappointed. After all, Rodriguez is hitting southpaws at a .219 clip in 2016. His last RBI came nearly a month ago.
From a pitching standpoint, Girardi needs a clutch outing from Michael Pineda. Even though the righty’s track record in Beantown leaves much to be desired, he doesn’t have to worry about either David Ortiz (shin) or Mookie Betts (right calf tightness) in a few hours. Pineda’s task of going deep into the tilt becomes doubly important in light of Nathan Eovaldi’s abbreviated turn yesterday. The lefty was lifted after just 12 tosses due to right elbow discomfort.
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It comes as no revelation that these two division rivals simply know how to rake. In fact, they’ve combined for 21 runs in the first two games. Look for another round of fireworks here.
THURSDAY MLB FREE PICK: YANKEES/RED SOX OVER 9 RUNS