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Pirates vs. Red Sox Monday MLB probable pitchers, odds, props: Boston can tie league record with at least nine runs scored in fourth straight game

The Red Sox offense has been clicking in the early going.

Matt Severance

The Boston Red Sox haven't missed the bat of All-Star shortstop Xander Bogaerts, who signed in free agency with San Diego this winter, all that much yet. The Red Sox have become the third team in MLB history to score at least nine runs in each of its first three games of a season. They can match the all-time mark of four in a row to open a campaign Monday against the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates, but are set at over/under 4.5 runs at DraftKings.

The Red Sox took two of three against Baltimore over the weekend at Fenway Park, scoring exactly nine runs in each game. They hit .327 against the shaky Orioles pitching staff with a .959 OPS.

New addition Adam Duvall hit .571 in the series with two homer and eight RBI. He was the first player ever to record at least six extra-base hits in their first three games as a member of the Red Sox. On Saturday, Duvall became the only MLB player to have a double, a triple, a walk-off homer and at least five RBI all in the same game (since RBI became an official stat in 1920). Duvall was signed by the Red Sox as a free agent in January to a one-year deal after he spent the majority of the last five seasons with the Atlanta Braves.

Meanwhile, Rafael Devers is batting .467, Justin Turner .417, Alex Verdugo .357 and AL Rookie of the Year candidate Masataka Yoshida at .308.  

Boston has joined Cincinnati's 1976 Big Red Machine and the '78 Milwaukee Brewers as the only teams to score at least nine runs in the first three games. The Brewers would then score nine again in their fourth game to set the record before being held to five runs in game No. 5.

The wind was blowing out in the Orioles series and will be Monday against Pittsburgh at about 14 mph to left field. The Pirates will start 25-year-old Johan Oviedo. He was 2-2 with a 3.23 ERA last year in seven starts. Only a couple of Red Sox have faced him in a regular-season game and Oviedo has never faced Boston. Duvall is +475 to go yard tonight.

Boston starts Kutter Crawford. He was 3-6 with a 5.47 ERA last year in 77.1 innings and was the fourth rookie pitcher since 2016 to make at least 12 starts for Red Sox.

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