Red Sox vs Phillies Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for May 5 (Will Chris Sale's Struggles Continue in Philly?)

The Boston Red Sox (19-14) look to keep their winning ways coming when they begin a three-game series with the Philadelphia Phillies (15-17) on Friday, May 5.

Red Sox vs Phillies Game Info

• Date: Friday, May 5, 2023
• Time: 7:05 p.m. ET
• Venue: Citizens Bank Park -- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Coverage: MLB TV

The Red Sox extended their winning streak to six games with a massive 11-5 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays last night. Meanwhile, the Phillies are coming off an embarrassing 10-6 loss to the LA Dodgers, losing their fourth straight outing in the process.

Red Sox vs Phillies Odds & Spread

• All MLB betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Moneyline: BOS: (+134) | PHI: (-158)
• Spread: BOS: +1.5 (-162) | PHI: -1.5 (+134)
• Total: 8 -- Over: (-114) | Under: (-106)

The Phillies enter this contest as home favorites on the moneyline and spread per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 7:05 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 8 runs with the Over being favored at -114 odds.

Red Sox vs Phillies Betting Trends

• Boston is 2-5 straight up in its last seven games against the NL.
• Philadelphia is 5-1 straight up in its last six home games.
• The total has hit the Over in four of Boston's last five road games.
• The total has hit the Over in six of Philadelphia's last six games against Boston.

Red Sox vs Phillies Prediction & Pick

It's going to be hard for the Red Sox to win again if starting pitcher Chris Sale can't turn things around. He's played to a disappointing 6.75 ERA and 1.466 WHIP in six starts, giving up a career-worst 10.1 hits per nine innings. He's also given up at least five runs in half of his appearances.

Meanwhile, the Phillies turn to Zack Wheeler as their starter. The veteran righty has been solid thus far, going 3-1 with a 3.86 ERA while averaging 11.3 strikeouts per 9 IP in six starts. He also won his only previous matchup against the Red Sox, striking out 12 batters while allowing just one run over 7 1/3 innings.

Although the Phillies are favorites, I see the Red Sox snagging another victory. Philly just doesn't play well against lefties, batting .250 (No. 16) with a .297 on-base percentage (No. 26). Even if the Phillies light up Sale, the Red Sox have a great opportunity to score runs of their own considering how the home team has given up 10-plus runs in each of their last three games.

It won't be pretty, but I do see the Red Sox winning their seventh consecutive outing.

Final Score Prediction: Red Sox: 6 | Phillies: 5

Red Sox vs Phillies Best Bet

Taking the Over on the 8-run total is a no-brainer for this game. The Red Sox's last six outings have seen an average of 12.3 total runs scored while the Phillies' previous three have averaged 15.7. Furthermore, four of the last six Boston-Philadelphia matchups have gone over their projected total, going over eight runs in each of the most recent three.

With Sale giving up a ton of runs and Wheeler being far from perfect, there's a good chance of fireworks tonight.

Bet: Over 8 Total Runs (-114)

Devon Platana is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Devon Platana also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username PepeSilvia0. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.