Boston Red Sox vs Chicago Cubs Prediction, Preview and Odds - 07/14/2023

Game Time: 8:05 pm ET, Friday, July 14, 2023

Venue:  Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL

Where to Watch:  MARQ

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Red Sox -120, Cubs +100; Over/Under:  9 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Red Sox -120, Cubs +100; Over/Under:  9 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Red Sox -120, Cubs +100; Over/Under:  9 runs

Boston Red Sox:  48-43 (5th place, AL East)

Chicago Cubs:  42-47 (3rd place, NL Central) 

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Boston Red Sox:  8-2 last 10

Chicago Cubs:  5-5 last 10

The Red Sox are entering this series on a 5 game winning streak and completed the sweep 3-0 in their 3-game series against the Oakland Athletics in their last series. They enter this game with a 48-43 record overall and have a road record of 22-21. This is the series opener of a 3-game series with the Cubs on Friday and they have had the week off for rest due to the All-Star break. Their offense ranks 6th in the MLB with a .761 OPS. Tayler Scott was their starting pitcher on Sunday while Brayan Bello is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 6-5 with a 3.04 ERA this season. His team won 4 of their last 5 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 2 ER, 1 HR, and 0 BB with 3 Ks on 8 hits through 7 IP against the Texas Rangers.

The Cubs are entering this series off of a win and won their 3-game series against the New York Yankees 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 42-47 record overall and have a home record of 21-22. This is the 1st game of a 3-game series with the Red Sox on Friday and they have had the week off for rest due to the All-Star break. Their offense ranks 18th in the MLB with a .721 OPS. Kyle Hendricks was their starting pitcher on Sunday while Kyle Hendricks is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 3-3 with a 3.04 ERA this season. His team won their last 2 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 4 earned runs, 2 homers, and 0 BB with 5 strikeouts on 10 hits through 5.2 innings played against the New York Yankees.

The current betting odds have the Red Sox listed as a slight favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Red Sox haven't been great this season, they are 5 games over .500 but are still sitting in 5th place of their division. They do have a better record than the Cubs though who are under .500 on the season right now and the Red Sox have gone through periods of hot and cold this season. They ended right before the All-Star break on a really hot run winning 5 games in a row and they will be looking to come out of the gate strong here as they need to start making moves in this competitive division. They are also going to have Bello on the mound here and he has been a solid starter for them all season, not giving up many runs in his starts lately either. He will keep the Cubs offense at bay as the Cubs have had a really up and down offense all season while Hendricks is going to struggle against a Red Sox offense that has been in the top 10 of the MLB all year. Hendricks also hasn't been great lately as he gave up 4 runs in his last start and will be vulnerable to giving up some runs here with this Red Sox offense staying hot. The Red Sox are going to be looking to keep their win streak going after the All-Star break so expect them to come out strong in this game with that hot offense. The best way to place a bet here is on the Red Sox to win this game.  

Red Sox Cubs Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Friday, July 14, 2023 (8:05 pm ET start time) is Red Sox 6 Cubs 4.

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Boston Red Sox: 29-18 (+14.4 units) on the moneyline after a win. 26-14 (+10.8 units) on the moneyline when the total is 9 to 9.5. 17-9 UNDER after a 3 game span where the bullpen threw 13 total innings or more. BRAYAN BELLO is 12-3 UNDER when the money line is +125 to -125.

Chicago Cubs: 17-29 (-13 units) on the moneyline when the money line is +125 to -125. 27-36 (-9.5 units) on the moneyline against right-handed starters. 29-15 UNDER at home when the total is 9 to 9.5. 31-19 UNDER after 2 straight games where they stranded 5 or less runners on base. 

Boston Red Sox:  G. Whitlock (RP) Late July - Elbow. J. Schreiber (RP) Late July - Back. R. Bleier (RP) Late July - Shoulder. R. McGuire (C) Late July - Oblique. P. Reyes (3B) Late July - Abdominal. K. Ort (RP) Out indefinitely - Elbow. W. Mills (RP) out for season - Elbow. C. Kluber (SP) Out indefinitely - Shoulder. T. Houck (SP) Out indefinitely - Face. C. Sale (SP) Early Aug - Shoulder. T. Story (2B) Late July - Elbow. Z. Kelly (RP) Early Sept - Elbow. A. Mondesi (SS) Out indefinitely - Knee.

Chicago Cubs:  B. Boxberger (RP) Late July - Forearm. D. Swanson (SS) Out indefinitely - Heel. N. Madrigal (2B) Mid Aug - Hamstring. B. Hughes (RP) out for season - Knee. A. Sampson (SP) Late July - Knee. C. Heuer (RP) out for season - Elbow. N. Burdi (RP) Late July - Appendix. E. Roberts (RP) out for season - Elbow.

“I know a lot of people still have question marks. I'm glad we took a chance.” - Alex Cora after his team’s win against the A’s in their game on Sunday.

“That’s a really nice team win, something I think we needed going into the break. These guys have fought really hard. The way we’ve come back here lately has been really impressive.” - David Ross after his team’s win against the Yankees in their game on Sunday.

Rob Refsnyder (R) LF

Justin Turner (R) 1B

Rafael Devers (L) 3B

Adam Duvall (R) RF

Masataka Yoshida (L) DH

Jorge Alfaro (R) C

Enrique Hernandez (R) CF

Christian Arroyo (R) 2B

Yu Chang (R) SS

Mike Tauchman (L) DH

Nico Hoerner (R) SS

Ian Happ (S) LF

Seiya Suzuki (R) RF

Cody Bellinger (L) CF

Christopher Morel (R) 2B

Jared Young (L) 1B

Patrick Wisdom (R) 3B

Tucker Barnhart (L) C

Batting Average:  Jarren Duran (.320)

Hits:  Justin Turner (96)

Home Runs:  Rafael Devers (20)

RBI:  Rafael Devers (70)

Stolen Bases:  Jarren Duran (17)

Wins:  Brayan Bello (6)

Saves:  Kenley Jansen (19)

ERA:  Tayler Scott (0.00)

Batting Average:  Cody Bellinger (.298)

Hits:  Nico Hoerner (93)

Home Runs:  Christopher Morel (15)

RBI:  Nico Hoerner (45)

Stolen Bases:  Nico Hoerner (20)

Wins:  Marcus Stroman (9)

Saves:  Adbert Alzolay (7)

ERA:  Daniel Palencia (0.00)

Managers:

Boston Red Sox: Alex Cora (5th season, 3rd consecutive)

Chicago Cubs: David Ross (4th season)