This article is part of our MLB Picks series.
Friends, we are getting down to crunch time in the MLB season as we near the final month of the regular season. The wild-card races are especially compelling with six teams within five games of each other in the American League, while the National League has five teams in the same boat. Today's focus looks at a huge AL East matchup between blood rivals that currently sit as the top two wild-card teams in the AL. First pitch is at 7:15 p.m. ET, and it can be viewed on FOX.
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Boston Red Sox at New York Yankees Props
The BoSox and Yanks start a four-game series Thursday in the Bronx with RHP Lucas Giolito taking the bump for Boston, and RHP Luis Gil starting for New York. Gil has had mixed results since making his season debut August 3. Gil has steadily increased his innings and effectiveness in his three starts, while Giolito is coming off an excellent outing against Miami. With both starters in relatively similar form, I like the value on the Red Sox Thursday night. Boston has taken five of six against the Yanks so far this year, and they should be sharp and focused against their rival.
As mentioned above, both starters are trending in the right direction, and I anticipate both will have quality starts Thursday night. The public always likes Overs, and these teams have the historical perception of offensive juggernauts, but it has been Boston's pitching that has carried them thus far in 2025. The Sox have a collective 3.76 ERA as a staff which ranks sixth in all of MLB. They leaned into that pitching during their last series against New York which resulted in a Red Sox sweep, with victories of 2-1, 4-3, and 2-0. A sharp, low-scoring game looks to be shaping up Thursday night as well.
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Thursday's player prop focuses on the starting pitching that I've highlighted throughout this column. Giolito has given up one earned run in three of his last four starts and appears to be locking in at the right time. His strikeout numbers have been up and down, but his control in those starts was outstanding. If Giolito can stay away from the walks, I love the value on his earned run prop. I'm anticipating a quality start from Giolito.
Thursday Single-Game Picks
Here's a recap of my picks for Thursday:
- Red Sox ML (+128 @ BetRivers Sportsbook)
- Red Sox/Yankees UNDER 8.5 (-115 @ FanDuel Sportsbook)
- Lucas Giolito UNDER 2.5 Earned Runs (+120 @ BetMGM)
For up-to-date information on the latest college basketball odds and props from multiple sportsbooks, check out the MLB odds page on RotoWire.
