The Boston Red Sox meet the Chicago Cubs for the middle clash of their three-game interleague series at Wrigley Field in Chicago on Saturday, July 2, 2022, so here’s the best Red Sox vs. Cubs betting pick along with the latest odds update on MyBookie Sportsbook.  

The Cubs outlasted the Red Sox 6-5 in Friday’s opener. They are listed as +125 home underdogs for Saturday’s battle, while the Red Sox are -135 moneyline favorites. 

The Red Sox blew a big lead in Game 1                                             

The Boston Red Sox dropped to 43-34 on the season following that narrow defeat at Wrigley Field. It was their third loss in the last four outings, as the Sawx blew a 4-0 lead. Rich Hill yielded three earned runs across 4.2 frames, while Hansel Robles surrendered three more in relief. 

Boston went 20-6 in June, tallying a nice 3.02 ERA and 1.19 WHIP. On the other side of the ball, the Red Sox slashed .267/.346/.419 with 24 home runs and 60 doubles across 894 at-bats. Now, they are sitting at the third spot in the AL East, one game behind the Toronto Blue Jays and 13 behind the New York Yankees. 

Josh Winckowski will get the ball Saturday and shoot for his fourth consecutive win. The 24-year-old rookie right-hander is 3-1 with a 3.60 ERA and 1.45 WHIP in four starts and 20 innings of work in 2022. Last Saturday, Winckowski yielded a couple of runs across 5.1 frames in a 4-2 road victory over the Cleveland Guardians. 

The Cubs aim for their fourth straight victory          

The Chicago Cubs extended their winning streak to three games and improved to 31-46 on the season following Friday’s victory to the Red Sox. They were sitting at the fourth spot in the NL Central, trailing the bottom wild card in the National League by massive 11.5 games. 

The Cubs went 10-17 in June, notching a horrible 5.96 ERA and .274 opposing batting average. They scored 120 runs on a solid .273/.342/.423 slash line, but lousy pitching hurt the Cubbies a lot. 

Alec Mills will take the hill Saturday, and the 30-year-old right-hander is 0-1 with a catastrophic 9.87 ERA and 1.73 WHIP in one start and five relief appearances this season. Last Sunday, Mills yielded five earned runs on six hits across 2.2 frames of work in a no-decision against the St. Louis Cardinals. 

Trends:

Boston: 

  • 8-3 in the last 11 games overall 
  • 13-5 in the last 18 games on the road 
  • 14-6 in the last 20 games against the National League 

Chi Cubs:

  • 1-5 in the last six games against the American League 
  • 1-5 in Alec Mills’ six appearances in 2022  

Boston Red Sox vs. Chicago Cubs Pick 

I’m expecting the Red Sox to destroy Alec Mills and bounce back from a tough loss in the series opener. Mills has surrendered five earned runs in each of his previous three outings and 8.1 innings of work. 

It’s hard to trust Josh Winckowski, too, but the Red Sox should have more firepower in their bullpen than the Cubs. Boston’s relievers have a 2.42 ERA, 2.90 FIP, and 0.35 HR/9 in the last ten days and 26 innings pitched, while Chicago’s relievers have registered a 3.90 ERA, 4.09 FIP, and 1.39 HR/9 across 32.1 frames in that span. 

Pick: Take Boston Red Sox at -135                                     

The Total:

We should see another high-scoring affair after an 11-run ball in the opener. I wouldn’t be surprised if Alec Mills yields five runs once more, while Josh Winckowski will have a tall task to slow down the Cubs’ offense. 

The over is 4-1 in Boston’s last five games, and it is 6-3 in Chicago’s previous nine. Four of the Cubs’ last five outings have produced runs in double digits. 

Pick: Go over