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Chowder and Champions’ Best Boston Bets for 7/31 (Sox Take Care of Mariners, Rays Quiet Yankees)

By Isaiah De Los Santos

Jun 28, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Nick Pivetta (37) pitches against the Miami Marlins during the fourth inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 28, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Nick Pivetta (37) pitches against the Miami Marlins during the fourth inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Chowder and Champions crew is back after the weekend. Monday will see the Red Sox take on the Mariners at T-Mobile Park, while there’s a whole host of other AL East going on as well. With so many division matchups taking place, standings watch is in full effect tonight.

Here are our editors’ top betting picks for Monday.

Best Boston Betting Picks: July 31

Jason Schandl: Red Sox Moneyline vs Mariners

We’re now a full game up on the Yankees in the AL East, and looking to close in on the Blue Jays. Continuing our West Coast road trip with a series against the Mariners isn’t the best lead-in to next weekend’s homestand against Toronto, but the Sox are a real threat to bounce back with a series win here.

We’re slight underdogs to open things up, but that’s not giving enough credit to Nick Pivetta, who takes the mound tonight with a ton of momentum.

Pivetta has pitched 5-plus innings in two of his last three appearances, and both were scoreless appearances, striking out a combined 18. He had his struggles early in the season, sure, but a 1.71 ERA in 31 ⅔ innings since June 1 highlights just how good he’s been.

His season-long numbers back his strong performances too, with his velocity way up compared to 2022 while he’s getting opponents to chase pitches outside the zone at a career-high rate.

George Kirby’s having a solid season for the Mariners too, but Boston has hit righties well this year (11th in the majors in wRC+ for the split) and we don’t need to be too afraid of this matchup.

Isaiah De Los Santos: Rays Moneyline vs Yankees

Monday is jam-packed with AL East action, including a matchup between the Rays and Yankees. Even with the return of Aaron Judge this weekend, New York still lost its previous series 2-1 to the Orioles and was held to 3 runs or fewer in both losses. This continued a trend of the Yanks’ lackluster offense, which has more issues than even the reigning AL MVP can solve.

Now New York takes on Tampa Bay, which is riding high after a series win over the Astros. The Rays will send out ace Tyler Glasnow for Monday’s contest, who’s pitching to a solid 3.36 ERA this season and on a roll in the month of July. Glasnow’s held opponents to 2 earned runs or fewer in each of his past four starts while averaging 8.0 strikeouts per game.

The Yankees, meanwhile, will counter with the struggling Domingo German. The righty’s been tagged for a whopping 11 combined runs over his last two starts, which includes allowing 6 ER to the unimpressive Mets in his most recent appearance.

The Rays’ offense, which ranks No. 4 in runs per game, should eat up German on the mound. With Glasnow starting as well, I’m taking Tampa Bay on the moneyline tonight.

And remember, if you sign up for DraftKings Sportsbook through Chowder and Champions, you’ll be awarded a $150 GUARANTEED bonus after placing your first $5 wager – and it doesn’t matter whether that $5 bet wins or loses.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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