Red Sox @ Blue Jays Predictions: Runs, Runs, Runs

Run, Run, Runs. That is what Zach Rainey is thinking about tonight in the Blue Jays vs. Red Sox game...

The Boston Red Sox look to wrap up a three-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays Thursday evening with a series win when they send Nick Pivetta to the mound to face Steven Matz.

I’ve really liked what I’ve seen from Boston this season. They were able to get right out in front last night against Toronto with a five-run first inning. As a pitcher, that always has to help relieve any nerves you have going into a game when the team is spotting you five runs before you even throw a pitch.

That was a good response after being shutout in the series opener the day before.

But the young Blue Jays are hoping this is what gets them the spark they’ve been looking for. At 23-18, they’re not playing bad by any stretch of the imagination, especially not having their complete team much this year.

But Vlad Jr. looks like he’s living up to the hype while Teoscar Hernandez has been a pleasant surprise for the club. He’s hitting .316 on the season, including a .423 average for two home runs and 11 hits over his last seven games.

I think Pivetta is due for some regression at some point. Going against as good of a lineup as the Blue Jays are, that could come tonight. He’s been lucky enough to get solid run support in his starts.

Because of that, I’m taking over 9.5 runs tonight. I think the Red Sox keep their bats going, and so does Toronto. This game could be one where neither starter lasts more than six innings, leaving the rest of the game to relievers.

For my prop bet, I’m taking Matz under 4.5 strikeouts. Like I said above, this could end up to be a short outing for one or both of these pitchers. Matz also isn’t one to rack up a lot of strikeouts traditionally. That number seems rather low, but at +130, I couldn’t resist. You can get it at that number at 888Sport, BetRivers and Unibet.