There are times when storylines in sports are the manufactured byproduct of media-driven or fan-powered narratives, and there are other times when the scripts write themselves.
The latter takes center stage Friday, when the top story on the 15-game MLB slate involves one of the game’s biggest stars facing his former team less than a week after a blockbuster trade sent him to his new destination. Rafael Devers, now of the San Francisco Giants, suits up against the Boston Red Sox on Friday night when the AL East club makes a rare visit to Oracle Park to kickoff a three-game weekend interleague series.
It’s worth noting that the “star athlete faces former team” hook is generally one of the most trite and hollow storylines we see pop up in professional sports. This is because, more often than not, the athlete departed his or her former franchise because of a trade over which they had no control and might not have wanted, or the player left for a free-agent deal that his home franchise chose not to match or exceed — the definition of a business decision for both parties.
Even so, the Devers storyline carries some legitimate steam behind it. Many Red Sox fans are still reeling from the move, their anguish mostly aimed at the club’s decision-makers for losing another franchise player regardless of the mitigating circumstances. On the flipside, the Giants upheld their reputation as a club that isn’t afraid to pull the trigger on a major personnel move, particularly when their brass believes they are in contention.
Still, the Red Sox appeared to pull the trigger to put an immediate end to an impasse that saw Devers, who signed a whopping $313.5 million contract in January 2023, reportedly refuse the club’s directive for him to play first base. However, since the trade, Devers has publicly stated that he will happily play any position the Giants prefer … including first base.
The juicy twist? Numerous reports have surfaced indicating the Giants intend to do just that and might even have Devers stationed at first base Friday night … against the Red Sox. Now, that is a legitimate “star athlete faces former team” storyline. For what it’s worth, Devers has logged three hits combined in his first three games for San Francisco with no homers and one RBI.
While the Red Sox vs. Giants matchup steals the headlines on the MLB slate, there are still 14 other games to choose from, as well as a three-game WNBA card and Game 7 of the NBA Finals to look forward to Sunday night.
Below is a snapshot of what to watch and bet for Friday, June 20. All times Eastern
⚾ MLB best bets, where to watch
Red Sox at Giants
Time: 10:15 p.m. | Location: San Francisco | TV: NBC Sports Bay Area, NESN
SportsLine picks — Model: Over 7.5 runs | Expert: Giants -130
SportsLine MLB expert Jeff Hochman (+695, 7-3 last 10 Boston selections) notes the Giants, who snapped a four-game skid with a 2-1 victory Thursday over the Guardians, should be in good shape to start this series on a positive note behind rookie starter Hayden Birdsong. Hochman points out that Birdsong boasts a 1.78 ERA and a .216 opponent batting average at Oracle Park. He also notes some value in the sportsbook odds can be gleaned from the fact that Red Sox starter Hunter Dobbins is coming off consecutive strong outings against the Yankees.
The SportsLine Projection Model also leans toward the Giants (-130) to win, but its stronger position is on the Over 7.5 runs. The model’s 10,000-game simulation sees this game clipping the total at least 59% of the time, a big value against the sportsbook implied odds of 51.5%.
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🏀 WNBA best bets, where to watch
Mystics at Dream
Time: 7:30 p.m. | Location: Atlanta | TV: ION
SportsLine expert pick: Dream -7.5
SportsLine WNBA expert Max Meyer says this is a natural letdown spot for the Dream, who squandered a 17-point lead in an 86-81 loss to the Liberty on Tuesday. However, he expects the Atlanta club to overcome the doldrums and pull away because of its stylistic advantage. Meyer notes the Dream take a WNBA-leading 30.9 3-point shots per game, while yielding the fewest 3-pointers attempts per game at 18.5. Conversely, Washington ranks last in 3-pointers attempted (16.9 per game) and is also last in 3-point shots allowed at 28.8.
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👀 Looking ahead
Pacers at Thunder, NBA Finals Game 7
Date: Sunday | Time: 8 p.m. | Location: Oklahoma City | TV: ABC, Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine picks — Model: Thunder -7.5 | Expert: T.J. McConnell Over 17.5 points/assists/rebounds
What countless basketball observers expected to be a simple coronation for the talent-rich Thunder, who opened as a -700 series favorite against the Indiana Pacers, has instead emerged as one of the more compelling NBA Finals in recent memory. Those bundles of Thunder in 5 or 6 series tickets will now make excellent coasters on the coffee table after the resilient Pacers shrugged off a sluggish start Thursday before cruising to a stunning 108-91 victory that wasn’t as close as the final score indicated.
The Thunder have won their last two home games in this series by double figures and now sit as -7.5-point favorites in the decisive Game 7 on Sunday. Will the Thunder bounce back and take care of business on their home court, or will the Pacers, who fetched odds as high as +8000 to win the title before the playoffs started, pull off one of the biggest upsets in NBA Finals history?
The SportsLine Projection model strongly believes in the former, predicting a 117-104 Thunder victory amid a 10,000-game simulation that predicts Oklahoma City covering the number a stunning 63% of the time. For those interested in player props, SportsLine’s top-rated NBA expert, Matt Severance (+3542 on the season), is putting his faith in reliable Pacers spark plug T.J. McConnell. He is backing McConnell to go Over his combined total of 17.5 points, assists and rebounds.