MLB Betting Preview: Josh Beckett Is the Last Hope for the Red Sox

Josh Beckett gets the call for Game 5. (AI Wire photo)

If you had one game to win in 2007, the pitcher you would want on the mound is Josh Beckett.

The good news for the Boston Red Sox is they employ Beckett, the favorite to win the Cy Young award. The bad news, of course, is their backs are to the edge of a cliff and the Cleveland Indians are pushing hard to send them over the brink. Will Beckett be enough to extend the American League Championship Series?

We'll find out Thursday night when the Indians host the Red Sox in Game 5 of the ALCS at Jacobs Field (8 p.m. ET, Fox). On the strength of three straight victories, the Tribe have a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series, leaving them one win from the World Series. Cleveland lost the 1997 Fall Classic to Florida and hasn't won a championship since 1948. The fans are hungry to take the next step, while Boston just wants to get the ALCS back to Fenway Park.

Beckett won Game 1 with a superb six innings of work. He fanned seven and threw only 79 pitches in a 10-3 victory. The Red Sox will need a similar effort if they are to extend the series. "We just want to get a good game out of him, take this thing back to Boston in front of our fans and see what happens," said Tim Wakefield, the loser in Game 4.

With Beckett on the hill, the Red Sox are favored by -123 on the moneyline (meaning a winning wager of $123 would net a $100 profit). The Indians are at +113 while the betting total is set at 8.5 runs. If the Red Sox are to triumph, they'll have to beat Cleveland's ace, C.C. Sabathia. They got to him in Game 1, but the hard-throwing lefthander will be eager to bounce back and lead a champagne-popping victory in front of the Jacobs Field crowd.

The winner of the ALCS faces the Colorado Rockies in the World Series, which is scheduled to begin Wednesday, Oct. 24. For ALCS odds and World Series odds, step to the plate with the Bodog Sportsbook.