Red Sox vs. Dodgers Prediction & Picks: MLB Odds for Friday, July 31

Two of MLB’s most iconic franchises begin a three-game interleague series as the Los Angeles Dodgers host the Boston Red Sox from Dodger Stadium. My Red Sox vs. Dodgers prediction backs L.A. at generous moneyline odds as it continues to get great production at the plate from Freddie Freeman.

I also expect Wilyer Abreu to find a favorable matchup against the Dodgers' bullpen and to go deep with the last of my MLB picks. First pitch is scheduled for 10:10 p.m. ET (ESPN Unlimited), with the starting pitching matchup being between Ranger Suarez and Edgardo Henriquez. The Dodgers are a -120 betting favorite.

⚾ Red Sox vs. Dodgers picks & odds today

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

Total wagered: 2.25 units | Max profit: 3.83 units

🏆 Who will win Red Sox vs. Dodgers?

Boston is two games under .500 (14-16) in interleague matchups this season, so I’m expecting a Dodgers win in this series opener.

Score prediction: Dodgers 6, Red Sox 4

💰 Red Sox vs. Dodgers prediction & best bet

Dodgers ML (-118)

Boston recently tied a franchise record with 15 consecutive wins. But even though it swept AL division leaders Tampa Bay and Chicago, going up against the MLB-best Dodgers is a different task.

Los Angeles leads the Majors in wins, batting average, and on-base percentage, ranks second in slugging, and fourth in team ERA. 

I especially like the fact that the Dodgers are facing Ranger Suarez, who has reverse splits and has been tougher on right-handed hitters. But Los Angeles entered yesterday with the sixth-fewest plate appearances by right-handed batters (1,730), which raises its offensive ceiling in this matchup.

🔥 Best Red Sox vs. Dodgers player prop bet

Freddie Freeman Over 0.5 RBI (+195)

Freddie Freeman has slashed .375/.474/.500 in 16 career at-bats against Ranger Suarez. While seven of Freeman’s 10 outs in that split have been strikeouts, he’s shown much better plate discipline, with two strikeouts in his last seven games overall.

Freeman snapped a six-game RBI drought with at least one run batted in in two of the previous four. He should see plenty of traffic on the basepaths in his at-bats as Suarez has allowed a .333/.372/.585 slash line in 81 combined at-bats against current Dodgers hitters. He also has great protection behind him from Mookie Betts, who has homered twice and has logged a 1.433 OPS against the Red Sox southpaw.

Freeman has the highest batting average of any player to the non-pull side, and with five multi-hit games in his last six, his ceiling for an RBI is high.

💣 Red Sox vs. Dodgers home run prediction

Wilyer Abreu to hit a home run (+410)

It is difficult to handicap any Red Sox player hitting a home run when the Dodgers are deploying a bullpen game, as it is anyone's guess what combination of relievers they will face. That is why I am picking the slugger who has had the most productive month from a power standpoint, as Abreu has a team-high six home runs in July, and is one of two players with 41 or more total bases.

Abreu's 16 home runs on the season have him tied for 57th in the Majors. And while Los Angeles' pitching staff overall has a gaudy 3.58 ERA, its bullpen can be susceptible to the long ball, ranking 15th in HR/9 (1.07). 

Abreu ranks in the 79th percentile or better in xSLG and barrels, making him a great value play to go deep tonight.

🚀 Red Sox vs. Dodgers same-game parlay

With Abreu's home run prop contradicting my other two Dodgers plays, I am leaving him completely out of my same-game parlay, especially since his .107 batting average over the last seven days doesn't inspire much confidence from a base-hit perspective. When his odds become available, I might add Max Muncy to record a hit, which he has done in seven of the last 11 games.

💵 My betting record for MLB picks

All MLB picks, including SGPs, have been tracked since March 26.

💡 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 20-3, while no other team was better than 15-9 in that span. But this is a step up for the Red Sox, and I expect their six-game winning streak as an underdog to end.

I thought about backing Max Muncy to homer, as one more home run would make him the all-time leader at Dodger Stadium. But with a lefty on the mound, oddsmakers don't have any lines out for him yet, as they likely want to make sure he is in the lineup before releasing any.

📊 Live Red Sox vs. Dodgers odds

The best MLB betting sites had enough time to react to the news that the Dodgers were switching their starting pitching plans from Yoshinobu Yamamoto to Henriquez, as all of the current lines reflect their bullpen game strategy. The Red Sox are one of the few underdogs on the day's slate attracting the majority of the early wagers (53%). 

Currently bet365 is the only one of the best sports betting sites offering an O/U of 9, as the rest of the market is at 8.5. bet365 did open at 8.5, and was the first to move to 9 despite the betting splits being nearly dead even (51/49 in support of the Under). I wouldn't expect many more sportsbooks to move to 9 for this game in a pitcher-friendly ballpark between two teams that rank in the top four in ERA.

📈 Red Sox vs. Dodgers betting trends

🚑 Red Sox vs. Dodgers injuries

📺 How to watch Red Sox vs. Dodgers

• Date: Friday, July 31
• First pitch: 10:10 p.m. ET
• Ballpark: Dodger Stadium (Los Angeles)
• TV: ESPN Unlimited
• Streaming: MLB.TV
• Red Sox starter: Ranger Suarez (4-3, 3.02 ERA)
• Dodgers starter: Edgardo Henriquez (4-1, 2.79 ERA)