Two of the early favorites to win the 2015 World Series will meet again at Fenway Park on Tuesday in the second game of a three-game interleague series between the visiting Washington Nationals and the host Boston Red Sox.
The Nationals entered the season as the team to beat in the National League and baseball overall, according to oddsmakers, and they remain the 6-1 favorites on the odds to win the World Series despite falling to 2-5 this year with a 9-4 loss to the Red Sox in the series opener at Boston on Monday.
The Red Sox are at 17-2 odds and viewed as one of the top two teams in the American League along with the Detroit Tigers (10-1), as they are both off to strong starts.
Boston rebounded from an embarrassing 14-4 loss to the New York Yankees on Sunday Night Baseball by topping the Nationals behind a sensational performance on Monday from rookie outfielder Mookie Betts, who stole two bases, hit a two-run homer and kept a potential homer from Washington outfielder Bryce Harper inside the park on a spectacular catch.
The over cashed on the baseball betting lines at sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark in the home team’s fifth straight game compared to just the second time for the visitors this season.
The pitching matchup for Tuesday’s Nationals vs. Red Sox betting matchup pits Justin Masterson (1-0, 3.00 ERA) of the Red Sox against Stephen Strasburg (0-1, 5.06) of the Nationals in their second starts of the year.
Masterson had his first start on the road against the Philadelphia Phillies last Thursday and earned the win after giving up two runs and three hits with two walks and seven strikeouts in six innings of a 6-2 victory. He also had a great day at the plate, going 2-for-3 with one RBI.
Strasburg also made his 2015 debut last Thursday but was on the wrong end of a 6-3 decision to the New York Mets at home. He surrendered all six runs to the Mets, three of which were earned, and nine hits with three walks and five strikeouts in 5.1 innings to take the loss.
However, the young righty has been outstanding in his past four road starts dating back to last season, going 4-0 with an 0.31 ERA and 28 strikeouts. He also earned a win in his only career start at Fenway Park back in 2012, allowing two runs and four hits with two walks and 13 strikeouts in six innings of a 7-4 victory against Boston.
Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com