In the first of a three-game series between the Boston Red Sox (24-31) and the Oakland Athletics (24-31) at Fenway Park, Wade Miley (4-5, 4.97 ERA) and Scott Kazmir (2-3, 2.93 ERA) get the start. The game starts at 7:10 p.m. ET on Friday, Jun. 5 and will air on CSN-CA, NESN and MLB Network.
In his most recent outing, Miley pitched 4.0 innings, allowing five runs (one unearned), striking out two and walking two in an 8-0 loss to the Rangers. Hanley Ramirez (.263, 29 Rs, 12 HRs, 28 RBIs, 3 SBs) played well again yesterday, going 2 for 5. In his career against the Red Sox, Kazmir is 9-8 with a 3.94 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, and 160 strikeouts. Stephen Vogt (.308, 27 Rs, 11 HRs, 39 RBIs) went 1 for 3 yesterday with two runs.
Boston is a -121 favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is eight runs. The Red Sox are 15-20 as the favorite and have an overall money line of -1,150. The Red Sox will be looking to pick it up in this one after recent offensive struggles. In the last 10 games, Boston has only averaged 2.6 runs per game compared to the 3.7 they’ve averaged on the season.
On the other side, the Athletics have a record of 9-12 when they are the underdog and are -1,554 overall with the money line. One of the top hitting teams in the AL are the Athletics, who average 8.9 hits per game. Shifting to the pitching staff, they have the fourth-lowest ERA in the AL at 3.64. They also allow just 8.0 hits per game, good for fifth in the AL.
The Red Sox are 2-1 against the Athletics this season. The Red Sox will take on a left-hander (Kazmir) in this game and have a 7-8 record against left-handed starting pitchers this season. Taking the hill against the Athletics will be the left-hander Miley. Southpaws starters haven’t been any trouble for them (3-10), but it’s a different story when they play on the road (0-4).
Predictions: SU Winner – OAK, O/U – Over
Notes
When leading after 7 innings, Boston is 10-12, while Oakland is 10-19.
The Red Sox managed to give up four walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Athletics who are coming in with a 12-10 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
It looks like the Athletics have a slight leg up on the Red Sox, as the Athletics have won their last four games while the Red Sox have lost their last two.
When they outhit their opponents, the Athletics are 18-9. The Red Sox have a 20-4 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 23rd, Boston is near the bottom of the league in runs, scoring 206 this season. Oakland ranks in the top 10 at sixth with 240.
Ranking sixth, Oakland is in the top 10 of the league in walks, notching 176 this season. Boston ranks in the top five at third with 179.
When the Red Sox hit at least one home run, they are 18-16, well-matched with the Athletics who are 16-15 when hitting one or more homers.
