Red Sox vs. Dodgers Prediction & Picks: Today's MLB Odds for Aug. 2

The Boston Red Sox were MLB’s best team in July and look to prove it wasn't a fluke by sweeping a road series against the best team in the sport, the Los Angeles Dodgers. My Red Sox vs. Dodgers prediction finds value with the road underdogs, with Ceddanne Rafaela leading the way offensively.

But since Boston is among MLB’s worst home run-hitting teams, it's a Dodgers slugger I’m backing to go deep with the last of my MLB picks.

First pitch is scheduled for 7:20 p.m. ET (NBC), with the starting pitching matchup being between Jake Bennett and Emmet Sheehan. The Dodgers are -165 betting favorites.

⚾ Red Sox vs. Dodgers picks & odds today

See all of our experts’ MLB picks based on the latest MLB odds.

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🏆 Who will win Red Sox vs. Dodgers?

Boston has better than a .800 winning percentage since the start of July, so I am excited for the rare opportunity to back it at plus-money odds.

Score prediction: Red Sox 5, Dodgers 4

💰 Red Sox vs. Dodgers prediction & best bet

Red Sox ML (+148)

Boston completed an MLB-best 21-4 July, while the .840 win percentage was its best in a month in franchise history (min. 20 games). The Red Sox proved they were never out of a game, belting an MLB-high 15 go-ahead homers, with five of those coming in the seventh inning or later. 

The Red Sox entered July 5.5 games back of the third AL Wild Card spot, and now are comfortably in the second spot.

Perhaps the most impressive thing to say about Boston is that among its 26-5 run, it is a perfect 12-0 against MLB’s top seven teams.

🔥 Best Red Sox vs. Dodgers player prop bet

Ceddanne Rafaela Over 0.5 RBI (+240)

Ceddanne Rafaela provided the big hit in Boston’s 9-4 series-opening win on Friday, belting a two-run home run to give the team the lead in the seventh inning. 

Rafaela had a flair for the dramatic during the team’s 25-6 run since June 25, especially in the seventh inning or later with the team trailing by one or two runs. In that split, he slashed .667/.667/1.222 in nine at-bats, with three extra-base hits and four total RBIs.

After Friday, Rafaela was on pace to hit 18 home runs and drive in 81 runs, which would surpass his previous single-season highs of 16 and 75, respectively. He has a great opportunity to produce an RBI against Los Angeles’ most vulnerable pitching, as it is 1-8 in Sheehan’s last nine starts, while the righty has pitched to a 5.27 ERA.

💣 Red Sox vs. Dodgers home run prediction

Andy Pages to hit a home run (+450)

This is a matchup of a Dodgers team that is tied for fifth in home runs against a Red Sox team that has hit the third-fewest. That has me backing a slugger from the home team to go deep.

Jake Bennett has allowed just five homers, but all have come from right-handed batters. He has allowed a home run in back-to-back starts for the first time this season, and Pages still has a respectable 18 home runs despite hitting two in July.

Pages has been locked in while on pace for the best hard-hit rate and lowest strikeout rate of his career, and it’s a testament to his raw power that he is on pace for a career-high in homers despite logging his lowest pull air percentage. 

🚀 Red Sox vs. Dodgers same-game parlay

If Rafaela records an RBI, that would go a long way in helping the Red Sox pull the outright upset. I didn't want to contradict my Boston moneyline wager by backing Pages to homer, so I changed the third leg of this same-game parlay to him recording a hit. Pages has hit safely in 10 of 11 games, with more multi-hit games (two) than hitless games in that span.

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💡 How I'm betting Red Sox vs. Dodgers: MLB strategy

Follow all of our MLB analysis and expert predictions for baseball season.

Since the start of Boston's 15-game winning streak on July 3, it is an MLB-best 21-3. Even though this is a step up for the Red Sox, it has hardly produced this stretch of quality baseball by merely beating up on bad teams. I'm also backing the trend that Boston has won six straight games as a road underdog.

I also have the utmost of confidence in Jake Bennett, who is coming off having a five-start winning streak snapped in his last outing. He still threw a quality start in that loss to the Athletics, and there is no shame in his streak being snapped, as no Red Sox rookie starting pitcher has won six straight since 1961.

📊 Live Red Sox vs. Dodgers odds

There is a big 19-cent gap at the best MLB betting sites between Los Angeles' shortest -160 moneyline odds at FanDuel and the -179 odds at the other end of the market at bet365 (carrying a 64.16% implied probability). One could surmise that sharps have backed the Dodgers thus far, as the line has moved as much as 10 cents in their favor despite receiving just 54% of the early wagers. 

All of the best sports betting sites are in unison with an O/U of 9, and bet365 has been the only one to see any movement. bet365 opened at 8.5 but quickly ticked up a half-run to align with the rest of the market. We're not likely to see much further movement in the total if the betting splits remain relatively even (56/44 in support of the Under).

📈 Red Sox vs. Dodgers betting trends

🚑 Red Sox vs. Dodgers injuries

📺 How to watch Red Sox vs. Dodgers

• Date: Sunday, Aug. 2
• First pitch: 7:20 p.m. ET
• Ballpark: Dodger Stadium (Los Angeles)
• TV: NBC
• Streaming: Peacock
• Red Sox starter: Jake Bennett (6-4, 2.74 ERA)
• Dodgers starter: Emmet Sheehan (4-7, 4.95 ERA)