Red Sox vs Phillies Predictions & Odds (May 7)
By Quinn Allen in MLB Baseball
Published:
- The Red Sox and Phillies wrap up a three-game set on Sunday
- Philadelphia is a -125 moneyline favorite
- Read on for the Red Sox vs Phillies odds, preview, and prediction
The Boston Red Sox (20-14, 7-7 away) and the Philadelphia Phillies (15-18, 8-6 home) finish up a three-game interleague series on Sunday afternoon at Citizens Bank Park in the City of Brotherly Love. The first pitch is scheduled for 1:35 PM ET.
We have a couple of righties on the mound. Tanner Houck goes for the Red Sox, while the Phils counter with Taijuan Walker.
Red Sox vs Phillies Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Runline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Red Sox | +105 | +1.5 (-180) | Ov 9.5 (-105) |
| Philadelphia Phillies | -125 | -1.5 (+155) | Un 9.5 (-115) |
The Phils are a -125 moneyline favorite and also hold the advantage on the runline at 1.5. The total comes in at 9.5. Boston is 5-3 in their last eight meetings with Philadelphia prior to Saturday’s matchup.
Odds as of May 6th at DraftKings Sportsbook.
Boston vs Philadelphia Probable Pitchers
The Red Sox rotation has been very inconsistent this year and that includes Houck. While he does have a 3-1 record, Houck owns a 5.34 ERA in six starts, giving up four homers in the process. He’s just getting some run support every time he steps on the hill.
The 26-year-old is coming off a rough outing, getting touched up for six earned across six frames against a potent Blue Jays offense. Boston somehow ended up winning the game though, therefore he took a no-decision. Houck has never faced the Phillies in his big-league career.
Houck vs Walker Stats
| 3-1 | Record | 2-2 |
| 5.34 | ERA | 6.91 |
| 32 | Innings Pitched | 28.2 |
| 29 | Strikeouts | 29 |
| 13 | Walks | 17 |
The Phillies made a splash last December by signing Walker to a four-year after he spent two years with the New York Mets. Unfortunately, his Philadelphia career is off to a very poor start. The right-hander is 2-2 with a brutal 6.91 ERA. He’s struggling to throw strikes and continues to get hit around.
Taijuan Walker walked 2.6 batters per nine innings last season.
He's walked multiple batters in all 6 starts this season, 16 total in 27 innings.
— Corey Seidman (@CSeidmanNBCS) May 2, 2023
Walker is also fresh off his worst start of the campaign. The former first-round pick surrendered a whopping eight runs in 3.1 innings against the Dodgers. LA also took him deep three times. It can’t get much worse than that. Hopefully, he can bounce back Sunday. But, Walker owns a 5.68 ERA versus the Red Sox.
Boston is Hot
The Red Sox appear to finally be finding a rhythm. Alex Cora’s squad has won seven in a row and it will be eight if they beat Philly on Saturday. Boston just swept their AL East rival, the Blue Jays, and also took two out of three from the Guardians prior to that.
LOVE ME SOME ROB REFSNYDER!
RED SOX MAKE IT 7-3 AFTER HIS 2-RUN DOUBLE! pic.twitter.com/vdM96Pw1To
— Tyler Milliken ⚾️ (@tylermilliken_) May 7, 2023
Offense is the clear strong suit for this ball club, scoring 5.9 runs per game (3rd in the Majors) and hitting .273 as a team. That ranks second. They’re basically top-five in every important offensive category. If the staff can figure it out, the Red Sox can make noise this year.
Phillies Sliding
It’s been a disappointing start to 2023 for the National League champions, sitting three games below .500. Rob Thomson’s squad has also lost five straight heading into Saturday. Perhaps the return of Bryce Harper can help, though. The slugger just made his season debut after recovering from Tommy John.
It’s hard to find any positives from their season thus far. While the Phils are hitting .265 as a lineup, they’re leaving far too many runners on base. Then on the mound, the staff has compiled a rough 5.09 ERA. Not good.
Red Sox vs Phillies Prediction
It’s honestly surprising Boston is the underdog considering their current winning ways. That’s why this is the perfect opportunity to take the Red Sox to stay hot.
Pick: Red Sox moneyline +105.
Sports Writer
Quinn Allen is a sports journalist, with a background and education in broadcast journalism (BCIT '17). He is a full-time associate editor at ClutchPoints by day, where he writes about soccer, baseball, basketball, football, and more. At night, Quinn is a frequent contributor at SBD.
