Best MLB Bets Today: Friday’s Games Knocking Our Sox Off

We have a pair of bets involving both Sox teams today. The first involves a matchup between the Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox. The other involves a Windy City rivalry, as the Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox square off. 

We will share our favorite bet for both games below, with the odds taken from FanDuel Sportsbook. Want to give FanDuel a try? Sign up using our custom link for a chance to get $150 in Bonus Bets when you make a winning initial wager of $5+.

Best MLB Bets Today: Astros vs. Red Sox (7:10 PM EST)

Red Sox ML (-134 at FanDuel Sportsbook)

The Red Sox may be one of the most underrated teams in the league this season, and they will add yet another win to their record tonight.

Houston will have Ronel Blanco (9-6, 2.98 ERA, 1.02 WHIP) making the start tonight. The 30-year-old has broken out this season, but it appears the clock may be striking midnight on this Cinderella story. He owns a 4.34 ERA since July 1, posting just two quality starts across six games. 

Blanco will have his hands full against a talented Boston lineup tonight. They rank second in the league in batting average and fourth in runs scored, making them one of the best offensive teams. They have stayed hot since the All-Star break, posting a .298 average and scoring 6.5 runs per game.

The Red Sox will have Tanner Houck (8-8, 3.09 ERA, 1.14 WHIP) making the start tonight. The 28-year-old has returned strong after a rough 2023 campaign and is on pace to finish with a career-best ERA. 

As dangerous as the Astros bats are, they have gone cold since the All-Star break, posting an average of .244 and scoring 3.4 runs per game. Some of those struggles can be attributed to the absence of Kyle Tucker, but the lineup features several bats that have gone cold. Don’t expect that to change with Houck on the mound for Boston tonight.

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Best MLB Bets Today: Cubs vs. White Sox (8:10 PM EST)

Cubs ML (-154 at FanDuel Sportsbook)

Don’t look now, but the Chicago Cubs are heating up. The team has won six of their previous eight games, taking series from two potential playoff teams, the Cardinals and Twins. We expect their hot streak to continue tonight against a White Sox team with just one win since the All-Star break.

The Cubs will have one of their top arms on the mound tonight in Jameson Taillon (7-6, 3.25 ERA, 1.16 WHIP). The veteran is having a fantastic season and is coming off one of his best starts. Taillon allowed just one run over six innings against the Cards last week, the second time he has allowed only one run in his previous three starts.

Taillon will face his easiest test of the year against the White Sox tonight. The team now ranks dead last in both batting average and runs scored and has been held to three or fewer runs in six of their previous eight games. Given how well Taillon has been pitching, it's hard to imagine the White Sox doing much at the plate tonight. 

The White Sox will have their ace on the mound in Garrett Crochet (6-8, 3.19 ERA, 1.01 WHIP). The 25-year-old ranks sixth in the league in strikeouts, ninth in WHIP, and sixteenth in ERA. However, the budding superstar has been struggling lately, with a 4.24 ERA since July 1.

One big reason we are confidently betting against Crochet is that he isn’t going deep into games. The Sox are being careful with the young starter, leading to him lasting less than five innings in five straight starts. Given the poor play of their bullpen - any success Crochet has will be spoiled quickly once he exits the game.

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