MLB Picks Saturday | Red Sox vs Yankees Predictions & Odds (August 19)

There haven't been many Red Sox/Yankees series that lacked postseason implications. However, as of Friday afternoon, both teams are at least three games back of the last American League Wild Card spot and rank fourth and fifth in the AL East. In Saturday’s matinee, the Red Sox turn to Kutter Crawford, who has shown flashes of excellence this year, while New York will go with its ace, Gerrit Cole.

Neither team has performed well at the dish against right handers, which means the under should be in play throughout the afternoon.

Crawford put together an average first half this season, but has seen better results lately with a 3.14 ERA over 28 2/3 innings since the All-Star break. His Average Exit Velocity is 87.8 mph on the season and he also boasts a 35.2% Hard-Hit rate. He walks 6% of batters and strikes out more than 24%.

However, Boston hasn't hit righties well. The Red Sox have seen Cole often over the years, but haven't always found success. In August, Boston has posted a 94 wRC+ with a .734 OPS. The strikeout rate has been low (19.2%), but the 7.5% walk rate isn't necessarily phenomenal. The Red Sox only have five bats with a xwOBA over .320, so Cole should feast on the bottom of the batting order.

Boston’s bullpen has been relatively weak this month. It has a 4.80 xFIP, but also has five relievers below the 4.00 mark.

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Now, Cole is one of MLB’s best starters with a 2.76 ERA against a 3.62 xERA. Regression is in the cards, but it shouldn't hit too hard. Cole ranks around the middle of the pack in both Average Exit Velocity and Hard-Hit Rate. His walk rate is only 6.7% and his strike out rate is 26.6%.

The Yankees have an 83 wRC+ with a .638 OPS off of righties in August. They strike out more than 25%, too. They have six active hitters with a xwOBA over .320 xwOBA, but that's partially due to their walk rate, which is above 13%. Even with that mark, Crawford doesn't walk many hitters, so he'll be able to negate the Yankees’ patience.

In relief, the Yankees have been good all year. They have a 3.99 xFIP in August and a 24.9% strikeout rate. They are walking over 10% of batters, but otherwise, they're pretty stable.