BSNblog

Two teams that know each other very well meet in the American League Championship Series. Boston and Tampa Bay met 18 times this season and the Rays won 10 while the Red Sox won 8. Game 1 of the ALCS is on Friday and matches Boston’s Daisuke Matsuzaka against Tampa Bay’s James Shields.

This game is a pick with a total of 8 over at SBG Global.

Dice K won 18 games this season for Boston and was excellent on the road, going 9-0 with a 2.37 ERA in 13 starts. He did not pitch that well at Anaheim in his last start though in the ALDS as he gave up eight hits and three runs in just five innings. He has pitched eight times in his career against the Rays and is 2-3 with a 2.75 ERA. He is 1-2 with a 3.41 ERA at Tropicana Field.

James Shields gets the Game 1 start again for Tampa Bay. He started in Game 1 of the ALDS against the White Sox and was fairly solid. He gave up a three-run home run in the game and left with the bases loaded in the 7th inning but picked up the win.

Here are the MLB betting stats for Friday’s game. The Red Sox are 5-0 in their last 5 playoff road games. The Red Sox are 22-7 in their last 29 playoff games. The Red Sox are 8-3 in their last 11 League Championship games.

The Red Sox are 39-17 in their last 56 games following an off day. The Red Sox are 1-9 in the last 10 meetings in Tampa Bay.

The Rays are 6-0 in their last 6 vs. the American League East. The Rays are 4-1 in their last 5 overall. The Rays are 20-6 in their last 26 Friday games.

The Rays are 55-17 in their last 72 home games. The Rays are 9-4 in their last 13 games following an off day.

The Over is 5-1-2 in the Red Sox last 8 League Championship games. The Under is 5-1-1 in the Red Sox last 7 games following an off day. The Under is 4-1-1 in the Red Sox last 6 overall. The Under is 7-3 in the Red Sox last 10 Friday games.

The Over is 5-1 in the Rays last 6 Friday games. The Over is 15-7 in the Rays last 22 vs. the American League East.