Philadelphia Phillies vs Boston Red Sox 7/30/18 Odds, Preview and Prediction

The Philadelphia Phillies play the Boston Red Sox in this series opener at Fenway Park in Boston.

The Phillies are the top team in the National League East division while the Red Sox are in first place of the American League East division. The Red Sox went up 2-1 against the Minnesota Twins with a 10-4 win on 7/28/18. Rick Porcello got the win for Boston as he pitched 5.2 innings while allowing four runs on five hits. Rafael Devers, Mookie Betts and Jackie Bradley Jr. accounted for two RBIs each for the Red Sox.

On the other hand, the Phillies went down 1-2 against the Cincinnati Reds of 7/28/18 with a 2-6 defeat. Philadelphia only had 4 hits during the game with Rhys Hoskins going 1-4 with 2 RBIs in the losing effort. Vince Velasquez didn’t get a decision after pitching 5 innings while giving up 2 runs on 6 hits with 4 strikeouts.

The Red Sox are averaging 5.34 runs per game and a batting average of .270, both tops in the league. Likewise, their pitching staff has been impressive being 3^rd in the league in ERA at 3.54 and 2^nd in strikeouts at 1029 for the season.

Nola Having A Good Season

Aaron Nola (12-3, 2.42 ERA) gets the start for the Phillies. The right-hander didn’t get a decision during the Phillies’ win over the Dodgers on Tuesday. Nola allowed three runs on five hits over five innings. He walked two and struck out five in a 7-4 victory.

It was only the fourth time in 21 starts where Nola failed to complete at least six innings. It was also his worst outing since allowing four runs in 4.1 inning against Milwaukee in June. That’s how good he has been this season. The 25-year-old has a 2.42 ERA and a WHIP of 0.99 with 136 strikeouts in a total of 134 innings pitched this season. Nola leads the NL in win percentage (80%), second in wins, 3rd in ERA and WHIP. In his last three games, Nola’s ERA has been 2.2 with 20 strikeouts.

This is Nola’s first time to face the Red Sox although he’s faced JD Martinez and Eduardo Nunez in the past. The former is 1-3 while the latter is 0-3 against Nola.

Looking For Third Straight Win

For the Boston Red Sox, it will be David Price (11-6, 4.17 ERA) who will start on the hill. In his last game pitched, the lefty got the victory after he pitched 6.1 scoreless innings while allowing only four hits with one walk and five strikeouts in a 1-0 win over the Detroit Tigers on 7/20. He will be looking for his third straight win on Monday against the Phillies.

Price is 5-2 at Fenway Park this season. In 46.1 innings pitched at home, Price has allowed 20 runs, including 7 home runs, on 39 hits with 18 walks and 44 strikeouts. For the month of July, Price is 2-1 in four games started with an ERA of 6.43.

Carlos Santana (.263 batting average in 19 at bats), Trevor Plouffe ( .296 batting average in 27 at bats), Asdrubal Cabrera (4-15) and Mike Franco (2-2) have been successful against David Price but Odubel Herrera is 0-2 lifetime against the left-handed Red Sox pitcher.

Who Wins This?

The Red Sox are 66-25 as betting favorites while the Phillies are only 21-23 as underdogs. Boston is also 36-14 at Fenway Park while the Phillies are just 24-28 away from home. They are 40-11 in their last 51 interleague games, 37-15 in the last 52 games and 41-17 in their last 58 games on grass. Meanwhile, the Phillies are 14-3 in Nola’s last 17 starts and 14-3 in his last 17 starts on grass.

The Red Sox have one of the best home record in the majors at 37-14 and will most certainly want to set the tone for this series with a victory in the opener. Likewise, they want to maintain their lead over the Yankees in the team standings. Boston is 8-2 in their last 10 home games and has averaged 7 runs in their last 4 games. Both Nola and Price have been solid this season but it’s going to be the Red Sox offense that’s going to make the difference.