The Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox are set to close out their respective regular seasons on Sunday afternoon.
Instead of the Red Sox hosting this game at Fenway Park, this matchup will be played at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg due to the inclement weather in the northeast.
Entering the regular season finale with an overall record of 88-73, the Cubs have earned an NL Wild Card spot and will take on the Padres in the NL Wild Card round of the postseason, which begins on Tuesday in San Diego.
On the other side, the Red Sox already know they will be taking on the Yankees in the Wild Card round. Boston is 87-74 and has claimed the second AL Wild Card spot.
First pitch for this Sunday afternoon matchup is slated for 3:05 p.m. ET.
Cubs vs. Red Sox betting picks & predictions
Boston Red Sox ML (+100)
The Red Sox have taken the first two games of this series and they seem to be in an ideal spot to complete the sweep.
With this game being played at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, the Red Sox have a key advantage. Boston is quite familiar with Tropicana Field, as they play there multiple times per year being in the same division as the Rays. That should make the Red Sox just a bit more comfortable in this environment than the “visiting” Cubs.
Neither of the starting pitchers have been announced for this contest as of this writing. With both teams already knowing their playoff destinations and matchups, neither manager will want to push the envelope when it comes to their respective bullpens.
They will either rotate through different arms to make sure guys get a little work in before resting up for the playoffs, or ask a rarely-used pitcher not expected to be on the postseason roster to eat up some innings.
The Red Sox have the edge if this game comes down to a bullpen game. Boston owns MLB’s best bullpen ERA at 2.99, and ranks fourth with a BAA of .224. Chicago’s bullpen has been a bit more inconsistent, ranking 13th with an ERA of 3.93 and 19th with a BAA of .242.
With so many unknowns in this matchup, backing the Red Sox on the moneyline with odds of +100 is the play.
Under 7.5 (-110)
Boston has won the first two games in this series by scores of 4-3 and 2-0. Low-scoring games have been the theme and that could continue in the series finale.
As previously mentioned, the pitching matchup in this contest has plenty of unknowns. Thus, each lineup hasn’t been able to properly prepare and study the arms they will face. Plus, if each manager rotates through several different pitchers all throughout the game, it prevents each lineup from getting into a rhythm at the plate.
Furthermore, it’s certainly possible that both teams are checked out just a bit as they look forward to their respective postseason matchups beginning on Tuesday.
All in all, seeing a high-scoring game in this one would be a bit surprising. With a total of 7.5, look to the under.
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Cubs vs. Red Sox odds
Chicago Cubs | -120 |
Boston Red Sox | +100 |
Run Line | CHI Cubs -1.5 |
Total Runs | O/U 7.5 |
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
