MLB picks: Yankees vs. Red Sox, Mets vs. Brewers

It’s the penultimate Friday of the MLB regular season, and we have a two-pack of plays for the evening!

Leading off is our look at the series opener between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox. Then we’ll segue to the series opener between the New York Mets and the Milwaukee Brewers.

New York Yankees (86-67) at Boston Red Sox (88-65), 7:10 p.m. ET, ESPN

The Red Sox should take the first of three games at Fenway Park in this crucial weekend series against the Yankees.

AL Cy Young frontrunner Gerrit Cole will toe the rubber for New York, but he hasn’t intimidated Boston’s lineup in the slightest this season. Cole is 1-2 with a 5.06 ERA and .292 opponent batting average in three starts against the Red Sox in 2021 (16 1/3 innings).

Kiké Hernandez, Christian Vazquez, and Alex Verdugo are a combined 13-for-36 (.361) all-time against Cole with two homers, so look for some combination of the three of them to lead the assault on offense.

Once Cole departs, the Yankees’ 14th-rated bullpen by ERA over the past two weeks (3.68) will take over.

Nathan Eovaldi counters for Boston, and he has excelled against his former team in five starts this year, going 2-1 with a 2.01 ERA and 34 strikeouts, compared to just two walks (31 1/3 innings). He and the Red Sox bullpen – which owns an MLB-best 1.68 ERA over the last two weeks – should shut down the Bombers' lineup in Beantown.

MLB pick: Red Sox +100

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New York Mets (73-79) at Milwaukee Brewers (91-62), 8:10 p.m. ET

The Brewers had the misfortune of running into the red-hot St. Louis Cardinals this week, and they suffered a four-game sweep. But Milwaukee should get back into the win column against the free-falling Mets, who have dropped seven of eight games heading into this series opener at American Family Field.

Tylor Megill starts for New York, and he’s looking down the barrel of a second straight month with an ERA above 6.00. Behind him is a Mets bullpen that owns the fourth-worst ERA in baseball over the last two weeks at 5.89. The Brewers’ lineup should feast in this one, particularly Lorenzo Cain, who has a .918 OPS in September.

Eric Lauer responds for Milwaukee, and the southpaw sports a daunting 1.09 ERA through four starts this month (24 2/3 innings). Opposing him is a Mets offense that’s 25th in OPS against lefties on the campaign (.707). Potentially backing Lauer in this one are Josh Hader and Devin Williams, unworked since last Saturday.

MLB pick: Brewers -155