Blue Jays vs. Red Sox (July 23): What will Boston’s response be to historic hammering?

If you are here, you likely know what happened last night between the Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays.

But, in case you don’t know, Toronto scored 28 runs, tallied 29 hits, and routed Boston by 23 runs. At Fenway Park, at that.

For Boston, there were many forgettable moments, but the most forgettable–at least for Red Sox center fielder Jarren Duran–might have been Raimel Tapia’s inside-the-park grand slam in the third inning.

GOTTA SEE IT: ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! 😱

Raimel Tapia hits an inside-the-park grand slam.

Presented by @Charmin | #EnjoyTheGo pic.twitter.com/SThqZIyU4O

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) July 23, 2022

That was one of five homers hit by Toronto, and every player in their starting lineup had at least two hits and two runs scored, with Lourdes Gurriel Jr. recording six hits in seven at-bats.

So, the obvious question for today is how the Red Sox will respond after all of that? The only way is up, right?

Toronto Blue Jays vs. Boston Red Sox Matchup Information and Betting Odds

Matchup Information

• Matchup: Toronto Blue Jays (51-43, 21-24 away, 3rd in the AL East) vs. Boston Red Sox (48-46, 23-21 home, 4th in the AL East)
• Venue & Location: Fenway Park (Boston, Massachusetts)
• Date: Saturday, July 23, 2022
• Game Time: 4:10 p.m. Eastern Time

Blue Jays vs. Red Sox Pitching Matchup

• Toronto Blue Jays: Alek Manoah (2022: 18 starts, 10-4, 2.28 ERA)
• Boston Red Sox: Kutter Crawford (2022: 13 appearances – 4 starts, 2-2, 4.50 ERA)

Blue Jays vs. Red Sox Odds

Game odds are via BetOnline. Odds from other online sports betting sites that we have reviewed and recommend may also feature in this article.

Moneyline

• Toronto Blue Jays -144
• Boston Red Sox +122

Over/Under

• Over 9.5 (-106)
• Under 9.5 (-114)

Run Line

• Toronto Blue Jays -1.5 (+114)
• Boston Red Sox +1.5 (-137)

Will Boston’s Struggles Against AL East Rivals Continue?

For Boston, this series marks the end of a stretch of five consecutive series against AL East opposition.

And this stretch has not gone well at all for the Red Sox, who have won just four of 15 games against the Blue Jays, Rays (1-6), and Yankees (3-4).

In their last three games, they have been outscored 55-8. No, that is not a typo, and yes, this is baseball. They ended the first half by getting bombed 14-1 and 13-2 by the Yankees in the Bronx, and then Toronto topped New York’s two-game output in one night.

Last Three Games for the Boston Red Sox

• 14-1 loss to the Yankees on July 16: 12 hits allowed, four homers allowed, Yankees were 5 for 13 with RISP
• 13-2 loss to the Yankees on July 17: 14 hits allowed, two homers allowed, Yankees were 6 for 14 with RISP
• 28-5 loss to the Blue Jays on July 22: 29 hits allowed, five homers allowed, Blue Jays were 15 for 26 with RISP

Avoiding the big inning has been a big issue for the Red Sox in those losses. New York had three four-run innings in the 14-1 win and an eight-run inning in the 13-2 win, and Toronto put up seven in the third, four in the fourth, and 11 in the fifth last night.

For the season, the Red Sox are just 12-27 against their division rivals, which includes a 6-9 mark at Fenway Park.

At home, the biggest culprit has been subpar pitching. In those 15 games against their AL East brethren, Boston has allowed six or more runs nine times.

Crawford has allowed just one run in his last two appearances at home, but when it rains, it pours, and you do have to wonder about the confidence level of Boston’s pitchers at the moment.

If the Red Sox do need to put several runs on the board to get the win today, that is going to be a tough ask against Manoah, who is 2-0 with a 1.80 ERA in four career starts against Boston and has seven quality starts in nine road starts this season.

Toronto Blue Jays vs. Boston Red Sox Prediction and Best Bets

Blue Jays vs. Red Sox Prediction: Blue Jays to win

Blue Jays vs. Red Sox Best Bets: Blue Jays ML (-140 at BetMGM) & team total over 5 runs (-106 at BetOnline)

I was initially tempted to back Boston to bounce back with a win. But based on their current form and how they have fared against AL East foes home and away this season, it’s hard to justify doing so.

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