The best rivalry in Major League Baseball is renewed again Thursday night, as the New York Yankees and Cy Young contender Gerrit Cole visit the Boston Red Sox. It’s the first of a four-game series.

That said, Nitrobetting tackles the nitty-gritty details of the clash below. We highlight basic event information, crucial stats, and the latest baseball betting odds. More than that, we share timely betting trends and predictions that help you lock in on the best picks.

Yankees vs. Red Sox Game Information

• When: Thursday, July 7, 2022, 7:10 PM ET
• Where: Fenway Park, Boston, MA
• TV: YES, NESN, MLBN (out-of-market only)
• Radio: WFAN 660 AM (Yankees) / WEEI 93.7 FM (Red Sox)
• Live Stream: MLB.tv
• MLB Odds: Yankees (-167) / Red Sox (+141)

READ MORE: Rockies vs. Dodgers MLB Odds, Preview and Prediction – July 6th, 2022

Why bet on the New York Yankees?

Yankees slugger Aaron Judge remains the AL MVP favorite, but he’s slumping right now and his betting lead over Shohei Ohtani is dwindling. The Yankees are on pace to win 116 games this season, and Judge is on pace to hit 57 homers this season. There is a chance for some records to fall if the Yankees have a comparable second half.

“It’s such a long way to go to be in those kinds of conversations,” Manager Aaron Boone said. “The biggest thing is, I think we’re single-minded in wanting to be a championship club, and we know there’s a long way to go. We feel like we’ve shown to this point that at least that potential exists. But right now that’s still all it is, and we’re going to keep working hard to be the best possible team we can be.”

It’s ace right-hander Gerrit Cole (7-2, 2.99 ERA) on the mound for New York. Cole allowed two runs over six innings last Saturday in a win over the Guardians. Cole drew the starting assignment for the opening contest of a doubleheader and got off to a rocky start, serving up back-to-back homers to Josh Naylor and Franmil Reyes in the second inning. He kept the Guardians off the scoreboard afterwards, striking out six batters.

Cole’s lone start against Boston this season was the season opener on April 8 when he allowed three runs over four innings of a no-decision. The Yankees’ 26 comeback wins are the most in the majors this season (that Cole start was one of them). Seven of their last nine wins have been comeback wins, with the Yankees trailing by multiple runs in six of those.

New York is 2-1 vs. Boston this year, and they haven’t played each other since the opening weekend — which is surprising.

Why bet on the Boston Red Sox?

The Red Sox are in a stretch from July 4-24 that will be only against AL East teams. The Sox are 0-7-0 in series against AL East opponents (as of Wednesday’s game vs. Tampa Bay) compared to 12-3-3 against all other teams. A total of 16 of the Red Sox’s last 27 games have been decided by 1 or 2 runs. They are 11-5 in those 16 games, after beginning the season 8-15.

The Red Sox could become the 1st team in the Wild Card era (since 2012) to lose as many as 19 of their first 30 games and still make the postseason. Since May 10, the Sox have lost back-to-back games only 3 times. In that same time, they have had 3 winning streaks of 6+ games.

Boston has won 14 of its last 15 games in which their starting pitcher has thrown at least 6.0 innings (19-2 in their last 21). But seven Red Sox pitchers are on the injured list: Chris Sale, Nathan Eovaldi, Rich Hill, James Paxton, Garrett Whitlock, Matt Barnes, and Josh Taylor. Thus, the rotation is a bit of a mess right now.

Rookie Josh Winckowski (3-2, 3.12 ERA) is on the mound Thursday. Winckowski allowed two runs (one earned) on six hits and a walk with six strikeouts in six innings, taking the loss last Saturday versus the Cubs. Winckowski had some trouble in the second inning, but he was otherwise solid. His six strikeouts were a season high, though his winning streak was snapped at three starts.

“I felt really good,” said Winckowski. “I think this is probably the best my location has felt since being up here, and in terms of working both sides of the plate and landing the slider I need for a strike.”

Winckowski threw 94 pitches. Of the 17 balls the Cubs put in play against him, the average exit velocity was 75.8 mph. Just one of Chicago’s hits against Winckowski left the infield. He has a 3.12 ERA with a 1.38 WHIP and 19:7 K:BB through 26 innings in five outings. Winckowski is ranked as the No. 13 prospect in the organization. He was acquired from the Mets as part of the three-team deal that sent Andrew Benintendi to the Royals on Feb. 10, 2021.

Winckowski is the only Red Sox rookie in the last 50 years with 5.0+ IP, 2 ER or fewer, and 1 or 0 BB in 4 straight starts. The last Sox rookie to do that was Lynn McGlothen in July 1972.

Yankees vs. Red Sox MLB Betting Trends

• Rockies are 2-4 SU in the last 6 games.
• Rockies are 1-7 SU in the last 8 games on the road.
• The total went under in 6 of Colorado’s last 7 games when playing on the road against LA Dodgers.
• Dodgers are 6-1 SU in the last 7 games.
• Dodgers are 5-1 SU in the last 6 games at home.
• The total went under in 8 of LA Dodgers’ last 12 games.

Yankees vs. Red Sox Betting Prediction

Yankees wins.

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*All odds stated are subject to change without prior notice.