Baltimore Orioles (0-0) vs. Boston Red Sox (0-0)
March 30, 2023 2:10 pm EDT
The Line: Boston Red Sox -141 / Baltimore Orioles +105; Over/Under: +9.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Baltimore Orioles and Boston Red Sox meet Thursday in MLB action at Fenway Park. Let’s preview this game and give out a pick and prediction.
The Baltimore Orioles haven’t made the playoffs since 2016, but they won 83 games last year and are heading in the right direction. The Orioles kept their key hitters intact, while adding two new starters in Kyle Gibson and Cole Irvin. The O’s are still looking up at the Yankees, Blue Jays and Rays in the AL East, but there’s potential to be a wild card threat this season, possibly ending the drought. Kyle Gibson gets the ball, and he was 10-8 with a 5.05 ERA and 144 strikeouts last season. Gibson is 3-4 with a 3.38 ERA and 37 strikeouts in his career against the Braves.
The Boston Red Sox have missed the playoffs in 3 of the last 4 years, and there was a lot of roster turnover this offseason. The Red Sox have 3 new starters in their lineup in Justin Turner, Masataka Yoshida and Adam Duvall, while their bullpen now features Kenley Jansen, Chris Martin and Richard Bleier. The Red Sox rotation has a new ace in Corey Kluber to pair with hopefully a healthy Chris Sale. Like the O’s, the Red Sox are looking up in their division, but they should be in the wild card race until the end. Corey Kluber gets the ball, and he was 10-10 with a 4.34 ERA and 139 strikeouts last season. Kluber is 6-4 with a 3.94 ERA and 94 strikeouts in his career against the Orioles.
The Orioles are 33-78 in their last 111 games following an off day and 20-44 in their last 64 Thursday games. The Red Sox are 6-0 in their last 6 home games and 6-13 in their last 19 Thursday games. The under is 6-2 in Orioles last 8 overall. The under is 4-1 in Red Sox last 5 home games. The Orioles are 1-4 in the last 5 meetings in Boston and 1-5 in the last 6 meetings.
The Boston Red Sox are going to be favored at home and with their new sexy pitcher in Kluber on the hill. However, the Orioles are a legit wild card threat this season and a club you should make money on long term, so there’s going to be value as a dog. The Orioles’ offense can put up crooked numbers. I’m higher on the O’s more than most this year. Give me the plus money.
