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The Oakland Athletics look to right the ship on Thursday in Boston. The A's take on the Red Sox in an afternoon clash, with Oakland aiming to stop the bleeding after 13 losses in 14 games. Boston is riding high after 11 wins in the last 13 games, and the Red Sox are 34-29 overall. The Red Sox are also seeking a sweep with a win on Thursday at Fenway Park.

Caesars Sportsbook lists Boston as the -160 money-line favorite (risk $160 to win $100) for this 1:35 p.m. ET first pitch. The total number of runs Vegas thinks will be scored, or the over-under, is nine in the latest Red Sox vs. Athletics odds. Before making any Athletics vs. Red Sox picks, you need to see the MLB predictions and betting advice from SportsLine's advanced computer simulation model.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every MLB game 10,000 times and it is off to a strong start to the 2022 season. It's on a 55-42 roll on top-rated MLB money-line picks through 10 weeks, returning over $600 for $100 players. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.

Now, the model has set its sights on Athletics vs. Red Sox, and just locked in its picks and MLB predictions. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Now, here are several MLB odds and betting lines for Red Sox vs. Athletics:

  • Red Sox vs. Athletics money line: Red Sox -160, Athletics +140 
  • Red Sox vs. Athletics over-under: 9 runs 
  • Red Sox vs. Athletics run line: Red Sox -1.5 (+130)
  • Red Sox vs. Athletics tickets: See tickets at StubHub
  • OAK: The Athletics are 11-21 in day games 
  • BOS: The Red Sox are 12-12 in day games

Why you should back the Athletics

In addition to blazing team speed that helps the Athletics to rank in the top five in all of baseball in stolen bases, Oakland can be optimistic about the performance of its starting pitcher on Thursday. Right-hander Paul Blackburn takes the ball for the Athletics, and he owns a sparkling 2.31 ERA in 2022 across 12 starts. Blackburn has displayed pinpoint command in only walking 2.0 batters per nine innings, and he is keeping the ball in the yard with only 0.4 home runs allowed per nine. 

Part of that is the ability to generate ground balls with a 51.3 percent ground ball rate, and Blackburn has dominated in road games to the tune of a 0.91 ERA. He tossed eight shutout innings in this last start, and Blackburn also holds right-handed batters to a dismal .525 OPS this season. Boston ranks below the league average in home runs, stolen bases and walks, giving Blackburn pressure points to potentially exploit.

Why you should back the Red Sox

Boston's offense greatly outpaces Oakland's offense statistically. The Red Sox are No. 2 in the American League with 300 runs scored, while the Athletics have the second-fewest runs in the league. Boston also leads the league in hits and doubles, with the Athletics landing last in the AL in hits, batting average and on-base percentage. The Red Sox have stellar power numbers, including a .416 slugging percentage, and Boston has a red-hot centerpiece in Rafael Devers, who has homered in four straight games.

In contrast, Oakland is second-worst in the AL in slugging percentage, and the A's are facing Boston left-hander Rich Hill, who has a 3.23 ERA since the start of the 2015 season. Hill allowed only one run in an earlier start against the A's this season, and he has a 2.61 ERA in June. From there, Oakland's bullpen has been scuffling, including the second-worst ERA (4.57) from any relief corps in the American League in 2022.

How to make Athletics vs. Red Sox picks

SportsLine's model is leaning over on the total, projecting 9.3 combined runs. It also says one side of the money line has all the value. You can only get the MLB model's picks at SportsLine.

So who wins Athletics vs. Red Sox? And which side has all the value? Visit SportsLine now to find out which side of Athletics vs. Red Sox you need to jump on Thursday, all from the model that has crushed its MLB picks, and find out.