Chowder and Champions’ Best Boston Bets for 7/19 (Sox Bounce Back, Yanks Get Swept)

It may not have been back-to-back Red Sox wins to start the week like we hoped, but things are still looking good for the Sox this week. We’re now officially only seven days away from the start of Patriots training camp, so it’s a fun time to be a Boston sports fan.

And while there’s only one major sport in season, there are still plenty of options on the table for bettors in Massachusetts looking to cash in and get a fun sweat going.

Here are our editors’ top betting picks for Wednesday.

Best Boston Betting Picks: July 19

Tyler Maher: Red Sox Runline

After the Red Sox blanked the A’s on Monday, Oakland returned the favor with a 3-0 shutout yesterday. It was only the second time this month that Boston failed to score at least 4 runs.

Look for our bats to bounce back today against Ken Waldichuk, whose performance has resembled a dumpster fire this year. The struggling southpaw is 2-6 with a 6.66 ERA and a 1.84 WHIP this season, so our guys shouldn’t have much trouble putting runs on the board today.

The A’s, on the other hand, will be lucky if they score any. That’s because we have Brayan Bello on the mound, who keeps proving with each passing start that he’s the real deal. The 24-year-old ace has now logged seven straight quality starts and owns a 2.52 ERA over his last 13 outings, so he should cruise against an Oakland lineup that ranks last in MLB with 3.58 runs per game.

The Sox are 10-5 in Bello’s starts this year and have nearly twice as many wins (51) as the A’s (26). Boston’s also 28-20 against the runline on the road this year, so trust the Sox to cover the spread and take the rubber game of the series.

Jason Schandl: Angels Moneyline

You know what’s sweeter than winning two bets in a row by fading the Yankees? Winning three in a row when they get swept.

The Yanks are actually favorites today thanks to a favorable pitching matchup, but you still just can’t trust ‘em at this stage. Their horrible stretch recently is no fluke, as it’s backed by some awful underlying numbers.

They’re making hard contact on only 32.2% of their batted balls in July, which ranks 22nd in the majors. They’re also hitting fly balls at only the 24th-highest rate. For a team with a bunch of big bats, that’s a bad sign.

So while I don’t especially trust Chase Silseth on the mound for the Angels, I’m not too concerned considering he’s up against what has been one of the MLB’s worst offenses lately.

And while Carlos Rodon might usually be an intimidating matchup, he’s had some serious issues since making his season debut in July after dealing with a back injury. He’s given up 6 earned runs in 10 1/3 innings pitched and is struggling with his control. He’s hit the zone on 44.6% of his pitches so far this season, which is well below the 50-52% rate we usually see from him.

Normally, this could be a spot to bet on a bounce-back from the Yanks, and I might even take them if this game had even odds, but there’s just so much working against them right now. Getting some decent plus-money odds on the Angels means it’s still a good spot to bet against New York.

Isaiah De Los Santos: Rhamondre Stephenson UNDER 6.5 Rushing Touchdowns (+105 at DraftKings)

The Dalvin Cook-Patriots rumors are very real after the team lost out on DeAndre Hopkins with betting markets pegging New England as the favorite to land the star running back. While that’d be great news for the Pats’ offense, it’d also lead to a much more difficult path for Rhamondre Stevenson to clear his rushing touchdown total this year.

Cook is an absolute playmaker with the ball in his hands and is showing zero signs of slowing down as he enters the latter stage of his career. The former Minnesota Viking has notched at least 8 rushing TDs in three of the last four seasons and still managed 6 scores on the ground during an injury-shortened 2021 campaign. This was all while taking on a workhorse role (268.8 attempts per season from 2019-2022), which he’d likely demand if he lands in Foxborough.

Even if Cook doesn’t have the same exact opportunities he had in Minnesota, we know how much Bill Belichick loves to rotate his RBs out. Stevenson also recorded the same amount of rushing TDs (5) in 2022 as he did during his rookie year despite seeing 77 more carries.

Cook’s nose for the end zone makes him a serious threat for coveted red zone carries as well. Eight players aside from Stevenson recorded rushing attempts inside the 20 last season for New England, but it’s easy to see Cook and Stevenson splitting the bulk of that work instead. That’s bad news for Stevenson, who managed to turn 31 red zone attempts into just 3 TDs last year. Cook, meanwhile, handled 39 such carries and scored six times on the ground.

I’m jumping on Stevenson to go under 6.5 rushing touchdowns (+105) at DraftKings Sportsbook while it’s still available at plus-money.

Betting it at DraftKings also means you’ll get a guaranteed $150 payout if you’re a new user. All you have to do is sign up through the link below, make your deposit and wager at least $5. You don’t even have to wait for that bet to settle (meaning you could place it on a season-long wager like this Stephenson one), you’ll automatically get an instant $150 bonus in your account that you can bet with immediately. This offer won’t be around long, so sign up now to build that bankroll ahead of NFL season!

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.