Sunday Night MLB: Red Sox vs. Dodgers
It seems rather fitting that the Dodgers are in the national TV spotlight on Sunday Night Baseball with the Trade Deadline coming up on Monday. They are the main characters in the biggest story in the sport after acquiring Tarik Skubal from the Tigers for a package of prospects. Skubal will not get the start, but Emmet Sheehan will, as it should be a raucous and rambunctious crowd in Chavez Ravine for the Red Sox vs. Dodgers game on NBC and Peacock.
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How to Watch Red Sox vs. Dodgers
Where: NBC/Peacock
When: Sunday August 2, 7:20 p.m. ET
Red Sox vs. Dodgers MLB Odds
Los Angeles Dodgers -185 // Boston Red Sox +152
Total: 8.5 (-105/-115)
Red Sox vs. Dodgers Prediction
Picks: Red Sox 1st 5 (+124); Red Sox 1st Inning 3-Way Moneyline (+350)
Not only are the Dodgers front and center right now thanks to the Skubal trade, but many will point to them as the main culprit when the regular season starts late or doesn’t start at all in 2027. For now, we still have the 2026 season to complete and it certainly looks like a foregone conclusion that the Dodgers will run it back as World Series champs now that they have arguably the best pitcher on the planet added to what was already a stellar rotation.
We’ll see if Sheehan ends up the odd man out, as he has a 4.95 ERA, though his advanced metrics point towards better fortunes ahead with a 3.77 xERA and a 3.98 xFIP. Sheehan has allowed 17 HR over his 92.2 innings of work, driving up his ERA and FIP in the process. With a 9.8% Barrel% against and a 38.7% Hard Hit%, plus well over a strikeout per inning, you can see why xERA looks more favorably upon him.
Because Sheehan is a power pitcher and multi-inning weapon who will probably sit closer to 96 as a reliever, that might be the route that the Dodgers decide to go, since guys like Eric Lauer and Justin Wrobleski are better suited for the rotation in my opinion. Regardless, Sheehan, who has one ugly blow-up over his last five starts, is a lively arm with the chance to dominate any time he steps on the mound.
He’ll be opposed by 6-foot-6 southpaw Jake Bennett, who has emerged on the scene in a big way for the Red Sox. After posting a 1.60 ERA in 39.1 innings at Triple-A, Bennett, who was acquired from the Nationals for right-hander Luis Perales back in December, got the call to The Show, where he’s continued his mastery of his craft. He comes in with a 2.74 ERA, 3.08 xERA, and a 3.28 FIP over 65.2 innings of work.
After a couple of rocky outings early with four runs allowed, he’s allowed a total of 11 runs over his last eight starts and six of them have come in his last two starts against the Orioles and Athletics. So, we’ll see if he can get back on track here. While he has the low ERA in that span, he also only has 38 K in 50.1 IP, so his .220 BABIP and 85.6% LOB% are two areas of worry.
The calendar has flipped to August, but if we look back to July, the Dodgers slashed .254/.314/.410 against lefties with a .314 wOBA and a 98 wRC+, so they ranked 2% below the league average in that split. We’ll see if they find another right-handed stick between now and the Trade Deadline on Monday.
The Red Sox blasted lefties pretty much all month, but had middle-of-the-pack numbers against righties, posting a .247/.326/.387 slash with a .315 wOBA and a 97 wRC+. The right-handed Sheehan just hasn’t found a groove yet this season, but we’ll see if he can take advantage of those mediocre numbers.
Something worth noting about Sheehan is that he’s allowed a .232/.288/.374 slash with a .291 wOBA the first time through the order, but a .259/.325/.510 slash and a .357 wOBA the second time through. That’s a very high SLG, as he’s allowed 20 extra-base hits, including eight homers, out of 160 batters faced.
Not surprisingly at 6-foot-6 with good Extension, Bennett has been tough to pick up early in games, as he’s allowed just a .180/.237/.202 slash the first time through the order. He’s also allowed just a .208/.222/.333 slash the second time through with a .241 wOBA. Bennett has not allowed a HR the first time through the order yet this season in 99 batters faced. That is why the Red Sox for the 1st 5 is the pick, as Bennett should find more success early than Sheehan and then we’ll see what happens as the rest of the game plays out.
Sheehan has allowed 13 runs in 19 first innings. Bennett has not allowed a first-inning run in any of his 11 starts, as opposing batters are hitting .059/.135/.059. Boston is +350 for the 1st Inning Result on the 3-way moneyline at DraftKings, a bet worth making given the ROI and the starting matchup.
Red Sox vs. Dodgers Player Props
Andy Pages 1+ Stolen Bases (+630)
Bennett has one of the lowest walk rates in baseball, so it might help to try and create a little chaos on the basepaths to push a guy into scoring position. Pages has successfully stolen 6-out-of-8 times against LHP on the season. Normally you expect lefties to do a better job containing the running game, but Bennett has allowed nine stolen bases and has zero caught stealings. Pages doesn’t run a ton, but given a 50% success rate against righties and better success against lefties, perhaps he can time up the long-limbed Bennett and a get a bag at a good price.
