MLB Predictions Preview: The Boston Red Sox would like to win a home Inter League series, something that evaded them against St. Louis over the weekend. To accomplish that goal, the Red Sox must face the Big-Unit; LHP Randy Johnson (4-5, 5.03). While the old guy isn’t what he used to be he can still be intimidating. The Red Sox have their own old guy to throw from the mound in knuckle-baller RHP Tim Wakefield (4-5, 4.17 ERA).
MLB Predictions oddsmakers at online sports wagering leader Bodog (Bodoglife.com) currently have the Red Sox listed as 153-moneyline favorites versus the Diamondbacks, while the game's total is sitting at 9. Arizona is getting +138 ML odds.
Wakefield has given up three earned runs or less in each of his last five starts since allowing eight runs in five innings against Oakland on May 23. He's gone at least seven innings in all of those outings, but is just 1-2 in that span. His last outing resulted in a 5-4 Red Sox loss to the Cardinals. Still, his ERA has continually dropped in each start from its highest point of the season on May 23 -? it rose to 5.19 after that rough outing against the A's.
Johnson has dropped his last four starts and over that span has a 7.77 ERA. In his last outing against the Twins, he allowed seven runs on 11 hits while tossing his first complete game since Aug. 24, 2006. Six of the seven runs came during the third inning and only two of the six hits that inning were hit hard. Johnson has allowed 10 or more hits in back-to-back starts for the first time in his career and his outing against the Twins was the first time he had struck out one or fewer batters since Aug. 4, 2006.
Jason Varitek's RBI-single in the bottom of the eighth inning lifted the Red Sox to a 5-4 win over the Diamondbacks on Tuesday night.
Boston won as -175 home favorites as the game played under the 9.5-run total set by oddsmakers.
Dustin Pedroia went 2-for-4 with a homer and two runs batted for the Red Sox, while Chris Smith picked up the win in relief of starter Justin Masterson for Boston.
Chad Tracy was 2-for-3 with a three-run jack and four RBIs for Arizona, as Chad Qualls was tagged with the loss after giving up the single to Varitek in the eighth.
Point-Spreads.com MLB Predictions: Red Sox -153 ML
