Patriots’ Day in Boston: Betting the Red (Sox), White & Blue
Patriots’ Day in Boston: Betting the Red (Sox), White & Blue
Patriots’ Day in Boston usually just means wins for the Red Sox at Fenway and the Kenyans in the marathon. But this just might be the year to bet on the home team all around.
If it’s the third Monday in April, then it must mean we have the proverbial early bird special in Beantown with the Boston Marathon and action at Fenway Park.
The marathon gets underway at 9:22 local time when the wheelchair contestants take off, and the Red Sox (6-6, -2.55) host the Baltimore Orioles (6-6, +1.60) with first pitch slated for 11:05 a.m. (ET). Justin Masterson is slated to make that first pitch in his first start of the season after being inserted into the rotation for Daisuke Matsuzaka who is on the DL. Baltimore counters with lefty Mark Hendrickson, and the oddsmakers are giving Masterson a strong nod of respect with the Sox opening around -210 on the early boards.
Then again, they’ve set the total at 11 on the game with the wind blowing in from right towards the third base stands, so maybe they’re not giving either pitcher that much respect. In fact, there’s a good chance that about the time both starters are coming out, the Boston Marathon will see its winners cross the line.
Kenya’s Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot won it last year in 2:07:46, with Ethiopia’s Dire Tune taking the women’s event in 2:25:25. Tune is once again a favorite this year along with her Ethiopian compatriot Bezunesh Bekele and Kenya’s Salina Kosgei.
Robert ‘The Champ’ Cheruiyot will be going for his fifth Boston title, and fourth straight, with countrymen Evans Cheruiyot and Daniel Rono plus Ethiopian Deriba Merga also strong favorites.
Lurking in the wings with decent chances of pulling off the unthinkable with two Americans atop the standings are Kara Goucher and Ryan Hall.
The last American to win it was Greg Meyer in 1983, but Hall has a decent shot at ending that dry run. He trains in the Sierra Nevada altitude giving him that in common with the Kenyans who have won 17 of the last 19 Boston Marathons.
It hasn’t been quite that long since the last American women’s champion with Lisa Weidenbach on top in 1985. Goucher is coming off a third in last November’s New York Marathon, the first to finish in the Top 3 since 1994.
Back to the game at Fenway…The Red Sox have a history of not letting the home faithful down in these games. Boston has win five straight on Patriots’ Day, and eight of the last 10. Toronto was the last team to beat them in the vent back in 2003, and the last time the faced the Orioles in the game was 1997 with Boston taking a 4-2 win in that one.
Scott Erickson started and took the loss for Baltimore with Aaron Sele moving to 3-0 that year for Boston with the win. Wil Cordero started in left for the home team and was the batting hero with a homer among his two hits for the Sox.
Hendrickson has faced the Red Sox just once in the last three years, that in a starting role for the Rays back on in late-May 2006 in Fenway. He was charged with five earned in 5.2 innings and took a 5-4 loss in part because of his own fielding gaffe. Overall however, he’s had success against the hitters in this lineup holding them to a .247 average (24-for-97) and .642 OPS with 13 Ks, eight walks and just one homer allowed.
With less than 90 innings in his rookie season last year, Masterson doesn’t have a lot of experience against any team yet. But the little he does have against the Orioles has been very good. The righthander saw them twice in relief last season, both for two innings each, once in each park. In those four innings, Masterson struck out four with no walks and just one hit, coaxing two double play grounders to wind up facing 11 of the minimum 12 batters a pitcher faces over the course of having four innings added to his pitching ledger.
Dana Demuth is behind the plate for this one as he begins his 25th season calling balls and strikes in the majors. This is the first year this crew has worked together as Demuth is joined by Hunter Wendelstedt, Kerwin Danley and Doug Eddings who has worked with Demuth the past few years.
The weather dude isn’t calling for anything close to baseball weather for this one. Temps might hit the mid-40s by first pitch and aren’t going to go much higher. It’s going to start off mostly cloudy and then get more cloudy as the day progresses with the chance of rain at 20% to start and shooting up to 90% in the evening. Winds are also going to increase from the 12-15 MPH from the East (in from right to third base) as the day goes on.
After opening at 11 on Sunday evening the total has settled in at 10½ this morning with Masterson and the Sox still getting the -210 favorites line. After pushing across 28 runs in the first two games, the two teams settled into a pitchers duel on Sunday with Boston getting the 2-1 win for their fourth straight win. Hard to get excited about backing Hendrickson in this spot with the Red Sox sniffing a four-game sweep, and I just don't have the jewels to lay -210 on a young arm like Masterson. The only way to play this one is to take the Over as cheap as you can get it then just sit back and root for offense.
Patriots’ Day in Boston usually just means wins for the Red Sox at Fenway and the Kenyans in the marathon. But this just might be the year to bet on the home team all around.
If it’s the third Monday in April, then it must mean we have the proverbial early bird special in Beantown with the Boston Marathon and action at Fenway Park.
The marathon gets underway at 9:22 local time when the wheelchair contestants take off, and the Red Sox (6-6, -2.55) host the Baltimore Orioles (6-6, +1.60) with first pitch slated for 11:05 a.m. (ET). Justin Masterson is slated to make that first pitch in his first start of the season after being inserted into the rotation for Daisuke Matsuzaka who is on the DL. Baltimore counters with lefty Mark Hendrickson, and the oddsmakers are giving Masterson a strong nod of respect with the Sox opening around -210 on the early boards.
Then again, they’ve set the total at 11 on the game with the wind blowing in from right towards the third base stands, so maybe they’re not giving either pitcher that much respect. In fact, there’s a good chance that about the time both starters are coming out, the Boston Marathon will see its winners cross the line.
Kenya’s Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot won it last year in 2:07:46, with Ethiopia’s Dire Tune taking the women’s event in 2:25:25. Tune is once again a favorite this year along with her Ethiopian compatriot Bezunesh Bekele and Kenya’s Salina Kosgei.
Robert ‘The Champ’ Cheruiyot will be going for his fifth Boston title, and fourth straight, with countrymen Evans Cheruiyot and Daniel Rono plus Ethiopian Deriba Merga also strong favorites.
Lurking in the wings with decent chances of pulling off the unthinkable with two Americans atop the standings are Kara Goucher and Ryan Hall.
The last American to win it was Greg Meyer in 1983, but Hall has a decent shot at ending that dry run. He trains in the Sierra Nevada altitude giving him that in common with the Kenyans who have won 17 of the last 19 Boston Marathons.
It hasn’t been quite that long since the last American women’s champion with Lisa Weidenbach on top in 1985. Goucher is coming off a third in last November’s New York Marathon, the first to finish in the Top 3 since 1994.
Back to the game at Fenway…The Red Sox have a history of not letting the home faithful down in these games. Boston has win five straight on Patriots’ Day, and eight of the last 10. Toronto was the last team to beat them in the vent back in 2003, and the last time the faced the Orioles in the game was 1997 with Boston taking a 4-2 win in that one.
Scott Erickson started and took the loss for Baltimore with Aaron Sele moving to 3-0 that year for Boston with the win. Wil Cordero started in left for the home team and was the batting hero with a homer among his two hits for the Sox.
Hendrickson has faced the Red Sox just once in the last three years, that in a starting role for the Rays back on in late-May 2006 in Fenway. He was charged with five earned in 5.2 innings and took a 5-4 loss in part because of his own fielding gaffe. Overall however, he’s had success against the hitters in this lineup holding them to a .247 average (24-for-97) and .642 OPS with 13 Ks, eight walks and just one homer allowed.
With less than 90 innings in his rookie season last year, Masterson doesn’t have a lot of experience against any team yet. But the little he does have against the Orioles has been very good. The righthander saw them twice in relief last season, both for two innings each, once in each park. In those four innings, Masterson struck out four with no walks and just one hit, coaxing two double play grounders to wind up facing 11 of the minimum 12 batters a pitcher faces over the course of having four innings added to his pitching ledger.
Dana Demuth is behind the plate for this one as he begins his 25th season calling balls and strikes in the majors. This is the first year this crew has worked together as Demuth is joined by Hunter Wendelstedt, Kerwin Danley and Doug Eddings who has worked with Demuth the past few years.
The weather dude isn’t calling for anything close to baseball weather for this one. Temps might hit the mid-40s by first pitch and aren’t going to go much higher. It’s going to start off mostly cloudy and then get more cloudy as the day progresses with the chance of rain at 20% to start and shooting up to 90% in the evening. Winds are also going to increase from the 12-15 MPH from the East (in from right to third base) as the day goes on.
After opening at 11 on Sunday evening the total has settled in at 10½ this morning with Masterson and the Sox still getting the -210 favorites line. After pushing across 28 runs in the first two games, the two teams settled into a pitchers duel on Sunday with Boston getting the 2-1 win for their fourth straight win. Hard to get excited about backing Hendrickson in this spot with the Red Sox sniffing a four-game sweep, and I just don't have the jewels to lay -210 on a young arm like Masterson. The only way to play this one is to take the Over as cheap as you can get it then just sit back and root for offense.
I'm taking every home game today in every sport thanks !!!!!!!!