Boston Red Sox vs. Seattle Mariners
Pick: Boston Red Sox -101 Betting Line (June 28th 2012)
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Free Play from Doc’s Sports. Take #923 Boston Red Sox over Seattle Mariners (10:10pm EST) Felix Hernandez is an eight-year veteran and shortly after he broke into the league, he was respected as one of the top pitchers in the game. He holds a career 3.25 ERA and has a Cy Young award on his mantle. He was also given the nickname King Felix due to his complete dominance on the mound. However, this year’s version of the King isn’t the same as what we’ve seen in the past. Sure his numbers are similar as he’s 5-5 with a 3.35 ERA and his strikeouts and walks are consistent. But Hernandez has lost a couple of miles per hour on his fastball and hasn’t been able to hit the corners like he used to. He also has had some back issues which forced him to be pushed back in the rotation a couple of weeks ago. Since his overall ERA is close to what people expect of him, I don’t think the betting market has made any adjustments yet. There is a good chance we’ll see some drop off in his numbers soon, so now is the time to take advantage before it’s too late. He’ll be up against it today as he’ll be facing a red hot Boston lineup. The Red Sox are fresh off a 10-4 thumping of the Blue Jays yesterday and have averaged 7.4 runs per game in their last 10 contests. They’re slowly starting to get healthier as the season goes on and that’s a scary prospect for the rest of the American League.

The Red Sox will send Franklin Morales to the mound today and he’s been a huge shot in the arm for the starting rotation. Marred by injuries, the BoSox were forced to give the reliever a temporary spot in the rotation. Not only has he led his team to wins in his first two starts, but he has dominated the opposition with a 17-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio and a solid 3.27 ERA. If he keeps this up, the left-hander might make this a permanent spot for him going forward. The Mariners aren’t very good against southpaws and they really struggle at home. In Safeco this season, the Mariners are batting only .204 and are averaging a putrid 3.0 runs per game. That’s not going to cut it against a red hot Boston team.

It’s not often that the Mariners are favorites over the Red Sox. With King Felix not being his usual self, I think the wrong team is favored in this matchup. Morales has proved that he’s more than capable of handling the duties as a starting pitcher and the Red Sox have a superior offense and bullpen. Take Boston with confidence here today.