Cardinals vs. Red Sox (June 17): Storied franchises face off at Fenway

Among the top series on this weekend’s MLB schedule is a matchup between two of the league’s most renowned franchises, the St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Red Sox.

Tonight’s series opener at Fenway Park will see former Cardinal pitcher Michael Wacha take the hill opposite Adam Wainwright, both of whom were a part of the 2013 Cardinals team that lost to the Red Sox in the World Series that season.

There’s a lot of baseball left this season, but St. Louis and Boston are both currently on the right track to wind up in the 2022 MLB playoffs.

Entering this series, the Cardinals are two games ahead of the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central, while the Red Sox are just a half-game out of the final AL wild-card spot after losing to the Oakland A’s yesterday.

St. Louis Cardinals vs. Boston Red Sox Betting Odds and Matchup Information

Matchup Information

• Matchup: St. Louis Cardinals (37-28, 16-15 road, 1st in the NL Central) vs. Boston Red Sox (34-30, 15-15 home, 4th in the AL East)
• Venue & Location: Fenway Park (Boston, Massachusetts)
• Date: Friday, June 17, 2022
• Game Time: 7:10 p.m. Eastern Time
• TV Broadcast/Streaming Info: Bally Sports Midwest (Cardinals), Red Sox (NESN), MLB Extra Innings/MLB.TV (subscription packages)

Cardinals vs. Red Sox Pitching Matchup

• St. Louis Cardinals: Adam Wainwright (2022: 12 starts, 5-4, 2.84 ERA)
• Boston Red Sox: Michael Wacha (2022: 10 starts, 4-1, 2.33 ERA)

Cardinals vs. Red Sox Odds

Game odds are via BetOnline. Odds from our other top reviewed and recommended sportsbooks may also be featured in this article.

Moneyline

• St. Louis Cardinals -104
• Boston Red Sox -112

Over/Under

• OVER 10 (-105)
• UNDER 10 (-115)

Run Line

• St. Louis Cardinals -1.5 (+155)
• Boston Red Sox +1.5 (-184)

Red Sox Look for More Clutch Contributions After Thursday Troubles

Yesterday, the Red Sox were looking to wrap up a three-game sweep of the Oakland Athletics after outscoring the A’s 16-2 in the first two games.

But Oakland’s Paul Blackburn and the bullpen limited the Red Sox to just three runs, and a three-run third inning helped propel the A’s to a 4-3 win.

It’s not as if Boston didn’t have plenty of opportunities to put more runs on the board. They tallied 11 hits, including three by J.D. Martinez, but they were just 1 for 14 with runners in scoring position after going 5 for 12 in that scenario in Wednesday’s 10-1 win.

For the season, the Red Sox are hitting .256 with runners in scoring position, but that number drops to just .199 with runners in scoring position with two outs. The former number is above the league average of .253, while the latter number is well below the league average of .233.

There should be a little more success when those opportunities arise tonight against the Cardinals, however.

In Wainwright’s career, opponents have hit .238 against him with runners in scoring position and .216 with runners in scoring position with two outs. This season, those numbers are .283 (15 for 53) and .323 (10 for 31), respectively.

By comparison, opponents are hitting just .145 (8 for 55) with runners in scoring position and .083 (2 for 24) with runners in scoring position with two outs against Blackburn.

For added comparisons relevant to tonight’s matchup, opponents are hitting just .147 (5 for 34) with runners in scoring position and .000–no hits in 15 at-bats–with runners in scoring position with two outs against Wacha.

Cardinals vs. Red Sox Prediction and Best Bets

Cardinals vs. Red Sox Prediction: Red Sox to win

Cardinals vs. Red Sox Best Bets: Red Sox ML & UNDER 10

Unless there is a major drop in the total, this will be the 26th Red Sox game this season with a total of 9 or more. Thus far, the under is 12-11-2 in such games.

Value is high on the Red Sox in tonight’s series opener, and that will be the case even if the ML moves more in their favor.

Look for the Red Sox lineup to have a little more success in clutch situations than yesterday, and Wacha, who has a 0.86 ERA in four home starts, should shine in his first start against his former club.

Other MLB Content Today on Betting News (Friday, June 17)

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• White Sox vs. Astros 6/17 Prediction and Best Bets