Boston Red Sox vs Chicago Cubs Prediction, Preview and Odds - 07/15/2023

Game Time: 2:20 pm ET, Saturday, July 15, 2023

Venue:  Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL

Where to Watch:  MARQ

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Red Sox +115, Cubs -135; Over/Under:  8 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Red Sox +115, Cubs -135; Over/Under:  8 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Red Sox +115, Cubs -135; Over/Under:  8 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 2nd game of a 3-game series with the Cubs on Saturday with the series opener of this series still to be played on Friday. Their offense ranks 6th in the MLB with a .761 OPS. Brayan Bello is their starting pitcher on Friday while James Paxton is making his start in this game on Saturday. He is 5-1 with a 2.73 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 2 ER, 2 HR, and 1 BB with 3 Ks on 6 hits through 6 IP against the Oakland Athletics.

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 2nd game of a 3-game series with the Red Sox on Saturday with the 1st game of this series still to be played on Friday. Their offense ranks 18th in the MLB with a .721 OPS. Kyle Hendricks is their starting pitcher on Friday while Marcus Stroman is making his start in this game on Saturday. He is 9-6 with a 2.96 ERA this season. His team lost their last 3 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 4 earned runs, 1 homer, and 4 BB with 6 strikeouts on 4 hits through 5 innings played against the Milwaukee Brewers.

The current betting odds have the Red Sox listed as a slight underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Red Sox were red hot going into the All-Star break and they are going to be looking to come out of the break just as strong since they do have a winning record and have been playing well now but still find themselves in 5th place of the AL East. The Cubs are still under .500 on the season and have been a really up and down team this season with their streaks. The Cubs have Stroman starting in this game and he has been really good for most of the season but lately he hasn't been as good as he is giving up more runs in his starts and the Red Sox have had one of the best offenses in the MLB all year, they will take advantage of his recent struggles and put up runs in this game. The Red Sox have Paxton starting here and he has been really good this season, not giving up many runs in his starts as he has been a really reliable starter for them. The Cubs offense has also been really up and down so he will have an easier time trying to shut down this inconsistent lineup while the Red Sox hot offense carries most of the load here. 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 Saturday, July 15, 2023 (2:20 pm ET start time) is Red Sox 7 Cubs 3.

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Boston Red Sox: 14-11 (+9.5 units) on the moneyline as an underdog of +125 to +175. 22-21 (+6.1 units) on the moneyline in road games. JAMES PAXTON is 22-14 OVER on the road when the money line is +125 to -125 and 30-20 OVER on the road when the total is 7 to 8.5. 

Chicago Cubs: 42-47 (-4.8 units) on the moneyline in all games. 27-43 (-11.6 units) on the moneyline in an inter-league game. 14-8 OVER as a home favorite of -110 or higher. 17-9 OVER at home when the total is 7 to 8.5. 

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)