Chicago Cubs vs Boston Red Sox Set to Clash in Interleague Series at Fenway Park - Elite Pitchers to Take the Mound as Cubs Open as Betting Favorites

Game outlook

A new interleague series between the Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox is set to begin on Friday at Fenway Park. The Cubs, with a record of 16-9, are currently second in the NL Central, while the Red Sox, with a record of 14-11, are third in the AL East. Chicago will be coming off a home series against the Astros before facing Boston, while the Red Sox will be finishing a series against the Guardians in Cleveland. Both teams are expected to start strong pitchers, with Shota Imanaga (0.84 ERA) taking the mound for the Cubs and Kutter Crawford (0.66 ERA) pitching for the Red Sox. The first pitch is set for 7:10 EST, with Chicago opening as the betting favorite at -107.

Betting Odds

Moneyline: Cubs -107 | Red Sox -104

Spread: Cubs +1.5 (-220) | Red Sox -1.5 (+190)

Total: Over/Under 8 (-110)

Based on the moneyline, the implied probability that Chicago will win straight-up is 52%.

Chicago Cubs

The Chicago Cubs recently completed a seven-game home stand at Wrigley Field, splitting a series against the Marlins and winning the first two games against the Astros. In the second game against Houston, Dansby Swanson's three-run home run in the first inning secured a victory for the Cubs. However, they will be without Cody Bellinger due to a right rib fracture. Swanson, the starting shortstop, hit his third home run of the season and typically bats 6th in the lineup. Michael Busch leads the team in home runs with six and bats cleanup, while Nico Hoerner leads the team in hits and bats leadoff. Ian Happ bats third and Shota Imanaga, with impressive statistics, will be starting his fifth game of the season. The Cubs are currently ranked 6th in power rankings, 4th in offense, 18th in defense, with a 15-9 record for the season.