Posted on 3/5/2008 11:05:33 PM

MLB Betting - Boston Red Sox Odds

By Dave Golokhov

Starting Pitching:

The World Series Champs have a very solid rotation that might lead to a third World Series in five years. At the top, Josh Beckett is as good as it gets. Next in line, the Red Sox will be hoping that Daisuke Matsuzaka’s second season brings improvement. The steady Tim Wakefield mans the third role while youngsters Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz will be the No. 4 and 5 pitchers until Curt Schilling recovers.

Matsuzaka should take a big leap forward assuming he learned from his growing pains last season, which gives the Red Sox an excellent one-two punch. Wakefield is always steady and with Bartolo Colon, Julian Tavarez and Kyle Snyder, the Red Sox have enough depth around in case Lester or Buchholz. On the other hand, if those young arm develop into something special, the Red Sox will be tough to be all year.

Relief Pitching:

Jonathan Papelbon and Hideki Okajima headline the Red Sox bullpen, but to make it through the rigors of a full season, the Red Sox will need more arms.

Julian Tavares and Mike Timlin are serviceable, but neither are getting any younger. The key in the Red Sox bullpen might be Manny Delcarmen and Javier Lopez – two younger guys that the Red Sox might be calling upon in crucial late-game situations.

If Okajima can repeat as a lights out setup man, everything else should fall into place.

Hitting:

Believe it or not, but the Red Sox batting order should be even more potent this year. The Red Sox struggled a bit at the top of the order until the playoffs where Jacoby Ellsbury stepped up big time.

Ellsbury will set the table with Dustin Pedroia to follow as a very capable No. 2 hitter.

In the heart of the lineup, the Red Sox will have a healthy Papi as David Ortiz battled through injuries last year and with Manny Ramirez in a contract year, he should post astronomical numbers.

Mike Lowell, Kevin Youkilis and Jason Varitek are solid, while J.D. Drew and Julio Lugo will have to produce better at the plate than they did in their first season in Boston.

Regular Season Win Total 93.5:

94 games is a lot for most teams to win but this is the Boston Red Sox. With the New York Yankees in their division, they are going to feel the heat to win games all season long, which is a good thing if you have the over.

The reason why I like this over so much is two-fold:

For starters, the Red Sox batting lineup should be stronger this year and assuming that Lester and Buchholz are decent, the pitching staff should be just as good.

Secondly, none of the four teams that made the playoffs last year won less than 94 games. The Red Sox are one of the best teams in the American League and will have to win at least that many to get in this year.

MLB Free Picks: Over 93.5 Wins

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