Red Sox vs. Athletics odds, prediction, line: 2022 MLB picks, Thursday, June 16 best bets from proven model

Fenway Park showcases American League action on Thursday afternoon. The Boston Red Sox welcome the Oakland Athletics to town for the finale of a three-game set. Boston won the first two games, with Oakland aiming to avoid a sweep. The Red Sox are looking to keep things rolling after 11 wins in the last 13 games, while the Athletics are seeking a badly needed win after losing 13 of 14.

First pitch is at 1:35 p.m. ET in Boston. Caesars Sportsbook lists Boston as a -160 favorite on the money line, while the Over-Under, or total number of runs Vegas thinks will be scored, is nine in the latest Athletics vs. Red Sox odds. Before you make 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 Athletics vs. Red Sox:

• Athletics vs. Red Sox money line: Red Sox -160, Athletics +140 
• Athletics vs. Red Sox over-under: 9 runs 
• Athletics vs. Red Sox run line: Red Sox -1.5 
• Athletics vs. Red Sox 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. 28-year-old 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 is rolling in 2022. The Red Sox lead the American League in hits (560) and doubles (151) this season, with top-two marks in runs scored (300) and batting average (.257). Boston is also in the top five of the league in on-base percentage (.318) and slugging percentage (.416), with high-end individual performers. 

Rafael Devers has blasted a home run in four consecutive games, and he has 16 home runs and 23 doubles this season. Devers also maintains a stellar .332 batting average and a .617 slugging percentage in 2022. He is flanked by a deep lineup that includes J.D. Martinez, who has a beautiful .345/.417/.573 slash line with 23 doubles. Oakland has strong starting pitching on Thursday, but the A’s have a shaky bullpen. The visitors rank in the bottom five of the AL in wins above replacement from relief pitchers, and Oakland has the second-worst bullpen ERA (4.57) in the league this season.

How to make Athletics vs. Red Sox picks

SportsLine’s model is leaning under on the total, and it 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.