Philadelphia Phillies vs. Boston Red Sox Pick – August 18, 2020

The east-coast foes Philadelphia Phillies and Boston Red Sox open a two-game interleague series at Fenway Park in Boston on Tuesday, August 18. They meet for the first time this shortened season, while the Phillies and Red Sox split their four-game regular-season series in 2019.

Both teams have been playing poorly this term, especially the 6-16 Red Sox. Boston entered Monday’s game against the Yankees as the worst team in the American League, while Philadelphia is 8-9 and sitting on the third spot of the NL East standings. 

I bring you the best Phillies vs. Red Sox betting pick for Tuesday night.

The Phillies are riding a three-game win streak, sweeping the New York Mets last weekend. Hereof, they opened as slight -115 favorites on Bovada. The Red Sox have dropped seven straight contests before their Monday’s closer against the Yankees.

The bookies expect to see a high-scoring affair, and I cannot blame them. The Red Sox possess the worst ERA in baseball (6.03), while the Phillies are 24^th in the majors (5.46).

Feel free to check out the alternative lines at the best MLB betting sites in case you’re not satisfied with a 10.5-run line.

The Phillies will start Zach Eflin, and the 26-year-old righty is 0-1 with a 3.60 ERA and 1.30 WHIP in a couple of starts this season. Eflin went 10-13 with a 4.13 ERA in 2019, while he’s never met the Red Sox thus far.

On the other side, Boston will start Zack Godley. The 30-year-old right-hander is 0-2 in three starts and one relief appearance this season, tallying an 8.16 ERA and a 2.02 WHIP. He’s been horrible last time out, yielding eight earned runs in three innings of work against Tampa Bay.

Godley is 1-0 with a 1.53 ERA in two starts and two relief apps against the Phillies.

I’ve already mentioned how poor these two teams are on the defensive end. Philadelphia is sixth in the MLB in runs scored per game (5.29), fourth in batting average (.261), and third in slugging percentage (.460).

The Red Sox score 4.32 runs per game (21^st) on a .250 batting average (9^th) and a .420 slugging percentage (17^th).

Considering the fact that both teams are struggling defensively and have a lot of problems in the bullpen, I’m going with the over on the totals. Both starters are far away from their top form, especially Zack Godley.

Interestingly, the under has hit in eight of the previous nine meetings between the Phillies and Red Sox, so I’m betting against the H2H trend.

Furthermore, the Phillies’ bats are playing well at the moment and could enjoy a big night at Fenway Park. Still, I would avoid taking the side bet due to a poor pitching staff on either side.