As fickle as baseball is, so are its storylines.
The Red Sox have lost four straight on the heels of becoming the 10th team in history to earn 27 wins in 30 games.
They were the first team ever to pull off that feat starting at 10-plus games under .500.
Boston enters Wednesday night’s game in Toronto looking to salvage the series after seeing their streak of nine straight series wins snapped by the Athletics over the weekend.
Red Sox vs. Blue Jays prediction, best bets
The hitting has cooled down as the Sox are averaging .221 through this slide, but several names are still pulling their weight, beginning with Ceddanne Rafaela.
Since the Red Sox began turning their season around on June 24 when they were 15 ½ games out of first, Rafaela has led the club with 54 hits, slashing .297/.316/.516.
Rafaela’s batted-ball metrics have surged this season while serving timely hits and lower strikeout rates.
The reigning Gold Glove winner blasted his fourth home run of the month Tuesday. It also marked his seventh game with at least two bases.
There’s also no one hotter than Wilyer Abreu.
Fresh off of AL Player of the Week honors, Abreu launched his fifth long ball of the month in the 5-3 loss to the Blue Jays. Like Rafaela, Abreu has added to his Gold Glove defense with clutch hitting this season and it’s a big reason why the team is back in the postseason mix.
He’s tied for 14th overall in WAR at 4.7, trailing Rafaela’s 5.2, which is tied for seventh.
Abreu has been excellent with runners in scoring position, tallying a third-most overall 11 RBIs in August.
The Sox’s top bats face José Soriano, who is settling in after escaping the catastrophic Angels at the trade deadline. He’s dealt with command issues this season and although he’s drawn whiffs, he’s been vulnerable to hard contact consistently in his four-year career.
Learn all you need to know about MLB Betting
Abreu gets the advantage of facing the right-hander from the left side, a matchup that has already paid off with two RBIs in his two plate appearances against Soriano.
The Red Sox are getting a “due-for-a-win” tax on the moneyline with Ranger Suarez on the mound after a couple soft starts of his own. Instead, I’m targeting Abreu or Rafaela on the prop markets for better prices as two of the game’s most reliable hitters right now.
THE PLAY: Ceddanne Rafaela Over 1.5 bases (+130, FanDuel) | Wilyer Abreu to record an RBI (+155, FanDuel)
Why Trust New York Post Betting
Sean Treppedi handicaps the NFL, NHL, MLB and college football for the New York Post. He primarily focuses on picks that reflect market value while tracking trends to mitigate risk.
