Mets vs Red Sox odds – Boston will take advantage of NY’s pitching, injuries

Online sports betting handicappers will get their first taste of interleague baseball as the Mets vs Red Sox odds—along with the odds for 14 other interleague series—begin on Friday.

The Mets vs Red Sox odds has potential to be the World Series matchup, so let’s take a closer look at the key matchups in what has the potential to be the best series of the weekend.

Mets vs Red Sox odds: New York's injuries are piling up

• Mets without Delgado, Reyes for the series
• Dice-K returns from disabled list to face Santana
• Red Sox have been dominant at Fenway Park

The Mets and Red Sox will meet up for a three-game series and, while the Red Sox have the pitching and home-field advantage, they should also have an edge talent-wise as the Mets will be without Carlos Delgado (hip) and Jose Reyes (calf).

Johan Santana (5-2, 1.36 ERA) vs Daisuke Matsuzaka (0-1, 12.79)
Friday, May 22 at 7:10 p.m. ET

The Mets vs Red Sox betting series kicks off with fireworks on Friday as Matsuzaka will be activated from the disabled list to square off with Mets ace Johan Santana. Matsuzaka has pitched only 6.1 innings pitched so far this season before landing on the DL with a shoulder injury. He’s somewhat of a wildcard but his counterpart is not.

Santana is 5-2 with a 1.36 ERA but is coming off his worst start of the season. For the first time in eight starts this season, Santana surrendered more than two earned runs, allowing San Francisco to hit him around for six runs (four earned) and 11 hits in seven innings pitched. Santana has been far more effective at home this year; opponents are batting .224 against him on the road, which is 22 points higher than he’s permitted at home.

Mets vs Red Sox betting handicappers should note that Santana has received poor run support this season. The Mets are averaging just 2.5 runs per game when Santana is on the mound this season.

Mike Pelfrey (4-1, 4.61 ERA) vs Josh Beckett (4-2, 5.85 ERA)
Saturday, May 23 at 7:10 p.m. ET

While Santana receives meager offense when he pitches, Pelfrey is the opposite, which helps explain why he’s 4-1 but has an ERA close to five. The Mets are averaging 5.4 runs of support for Pelfrey, which has led to five team wins in his seven starts.

Pelfrey’s numbers aren’t pretty, though. He has just 11 strikeouts in comparison with 17 walks in his 41 innings pitched. He puts a lot of balls in play, which could hurt him in a hitter’s park like Fenway.

Meanwhile, Beckett will be happy to pitch at home. He’s 2-0 there, where opposing batters hit .255 against him. On the road, he’s 2-2 and while yielding a .320 average.

Tim Redding (0-0, 3.00 ERA) vs Tim Wakefield (5-2, 3.89 ERA)
Sunday, May 24 at 1:35 p.m. ET

Redding made his first start for the Mets on Monday and performed fairly well. Redding pitched six innings while giving up two hits and two earned runs. He walked and struck out four batters in that span.

Wakefield has been fairly steady for the Red Sox this season and has been particularly tough at home. At Fenway, Wakefield is 3-0 with 1.71 ERA and opponents are batting just .187 against him. That’s a stark contrast to his 4.83 road ERA and the .234 batters average against.

SKIP’S PICK: Bet on the Red Sox to win this series.

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Before his arm flamed out, Dale “Skip” Lalonde was famous for his high-90s heat and power at the plate. He retired young but never turned his back on baseball, earning the nickname “Skip” for his high-school coaching prowess. A true student of the game, he loves crunching the numbers when he handicaps baseball. Email Comments@BetOnline.com.