The Boston Red Sox are still in the American League East race and competitive in baseball odds, but just barely. The Red Sox have really been hurt by injuries and the news got worse on Thursday when the team announced that first baseman Kevin Youkilis will have thumb surgery and miss the rest of the season. MLB betting odds favor New York and Tampa Bay in the American League East and it is possible that Boston could fall out of the race.
MLB odds favor New York to win the World Series this year while Tampa Bay is also a contender. The Red Sox are still in the mix but not by a lot. To make the playoffs they would have to catch either New York or Tampa Bay since there is only one Wild Card spot. The Red Sox are well back of both teams and they will face an uphill battle to catch them.
Losing Youkilis definitely does not help Boston’s chances vs. the MLB betting odds. He was hitting .307 with 19 home runs and 62 RBIs. Boston will have to hope that Mike Lowell can fill in at first base or they may go looking for a trade. There are not many players on the market that would slip through waivers.
Boston may not survive in the American League East long enough to make it to September. They begin a 10-game road trip that will likely determine if they are contenders for the Wild Card spot. They play four games at New York beginning on Friday and they then go to Toronto for three games followed by three games at Texas. The Red Sox have to stay within striking range of Tampa and New York. If they have a poor road trip vs. the baseball odds they could fall more than 10 games back and that would pretty much end their playoff hopes.
Boston has been hitting the ball well even with all of their injuries as they are second in the league in runs scored. Boston’s pitching has been the problem vs. baseball betting odds as they are 19th in the league in ERA. There are not many teams that can make the playoffs with a below average pitching staff and that is what Boston has right now.