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The Daily Sweat: Red Sox might have killed the Yankees as they continue a fantastic season

When the Boston Red Sox came up with a phenomenal comeback win on Sunday over the New York Yankees, the focus became the Yankees and their seemingly lost season

Lost in that angst is celebrating a pretty big win for the Red Sox.

Boston isn’t anyone’s underdog, but the Red Sox are coming off a rare down season in 2020. They’re making up for it in 2021. Boston’s great eighth-inning comeback not only sent the Yankees season into a bigger spiral — all Red Sox fans can appreciate that — but it brought their record to 61-39. On Sunday, the Red Sox entered the eighth inning with no hits and trailing 4-0, and put up five runs in the eighth to win. That’s the type of win that can boost a team for a while, not that Boston needed an extra push.

The Red Sox are -125 favorites on Monday against the Toronto Blue Jays at BetMGM. They can make the AL East even more of a two-team race with a strong showing against the Blue Jays.

Toronto, with its powerful offense, wasn’t able to gain any ground on Boston right after the break and is now 9.5 games back in the AL East. The aforementioned Yankees are nine games back and as anyone on social media pointed out since Sunday afternoon, they look finished. Boston has a one-game lead on the Tampa Bay Rays and until further notice, those are the only two teams in contention.

There’s no reason Boston can’t keep winning at this pace. Their offense is very good, having reloaded despite the still strange trade of Mookie Betts a year ago, and the pitching is more than good enough. They’re not the Los Angeles Dodgers with multiple aces or a team that has built a bullpen that is practically unhittable, but the Red Sox staff has been good.

Boston is a good story, though any team with their payroll isn’t going to be a feel-good tale. We’ll settle for a surprising turnaround from one of MLB’s brand-name teams, and there’s no reason to bet against them Monday as they start a series against the Blue Jays. The Red Sox are here to stay.

Enrique Hernandez (5) of the Boston Red Sox celebrates with J.D. Martinez, center, and catcher Christian Vazquez after scoring the go-ahead run against the Yankees on Sunday. (Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images)
Enrique Hernandez (5) of the Boston Red Sox celebrates with J.D. Martinez, center, and catcher Christian Vazquez after scoring the go-ahead run against the Yankees on Sunday. (Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images)

Here’s a first look at the betting slate for Monday:

Olympics, anyone?

It’s tough to find games to bet on this time of year. But we have betting opportunities like surfing, skateboarding and modern pentathlon from Tokyo on Monday. Yes, the betting window is open at BetMGM for Olympics wagering.

If you’re an expert handicapper at sport climbing, this is your time to shine. At least the Olympic games give us something to bet on before preseason football.

Who cashed tickets this weekend?

Lately, whoever is playing the Texas Rangers is cashing tickets. The Rangers lost 3-1 to the Houston Astros on Sunday, the team’s 12th straight loss. That’s the longest losing streak in MLB and puts the Rangers at 35-65, a full 30 games under .500. They could still challenge the Arizona Diamondbacks for the worst record in MLB this season.

On the PGA Tour, Cameron Champ shocked the field as a big underdog to win the 3M Open. Champ shot 15-under-par to take the tournament. Champ was +12500 to win at BetMGM, and there was a $25 bet that won $3,125 on him.

Oh, and you might have heard that a heavily favored USA men’s basketball team lost its first game at the Olympics to France.

What does the rest of MLB’s schedule look like?

It’s a normal short Monday schedule for MLB, with a few teams getting the day off. There are still a few key series starting.

The Atlanta Braves are starting to reach last call status if they’re going to make a run at the NL East title. They’re two games under .500 and while the New York Mets can’t put them away, the Braves face a critical series in New York starting Monday. The Braves are +125 underdogs.

The Cincinnati Reds are +105 underdogs at the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs are going to be sellers at the deadline after a bad July, and while the Reds haven’t been great to start the second half, they’re better than the Cubs.

Who’s the best bet?

Unless you have a heck of an Olympic skateboarding angle, I’ll take the Los Angeles Angels laying -160 against the Colorado Rockies. The Rockies are a truly awful road team and I’m willing to play a heavy favorite against them. Even at -160, there’s still value on the Angels. The run line for the Angels, at +135 odds while giving -1.5 runs, seems like a solid play too.

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