In the second of a three-game series between the Boston Red Sox (27-35) and the Toronto Blue Jays (27-35) at Fenway Park, Clay Buchholz (3-6, 4.07 ERA) and R.A. Dickey (2-6, 5.35 ERA) get the start. The Blue Jays won the last game 13-10, extending a nine-game winning streak. The game starts at 1:35 p.m. ET on Saturday, Jun. 13 and will air on RSN, NESN and MLB Network.
Buchholz is 12-9 with a 3.42 ERA against the Blue Jays in his career, and faces a solid Toronto offense that’s hitting .268 on the year. Dustin Pedroia (.308, 30 Rs, 9 HRs, 26 RBIs, 1 SB) went 1 for 5 yesterday with one run, one home run, and three RBIs. In his career against the Red Sox, Dickey is 6-5 with a 4.45 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, and 70 strikeouts. Josh Donaldson (.322, 51 Rs, 17 HRs, 45 RBIs, 3 SBs) has been doing well offensively for the Blue Jays, going 3 for 5 yesterday with one run and one RBI.
Boston is a -150 favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is eight runs. The Red Sox are 18-22 as the favorite and have an overall money line of -1,339. They have disappointing records of 6-10 as the favorite and 10-18 SU within their division. Don’t expect the Boston hitters to swing wildly. They average only 6.4 strikeouts per game. Boston’s pitching staff has put it all together in the past 10 games. Its average runs allowed per game dropped to 3.3 during that span, compared to its 4.5 season average.
On the other side, the Blue Jays have a subpar record of 11-18 when they are the underdog and are -81 overall with the money line. Against divisional rivals, they are 14-14 SU and 6-10 as the underdog. The Blue Jays are the number one overall scoring offense in the AL, averaging 5.3 runs per game so far. Toronto is one of the top hitting teams in the AL with an average of 8.9 hits per contest. The Blue Jays average 3.2 walks per game, making them one of the most disciplined teams in the AL. The last 10 games have really brought the best out of the Toronto pitchers. They’ve allowed 2.9 runs per game during that span, which is lower than their season average of 4.4.
The Blue Jays have gotten the better of the Red Sox in head-to-head matchups this season, going 4-3. This game will feature Dickey (RHP) on the mound against the Red Sox, who have a 19-24 record when they take on a right-handed starter. Taking the hill against the Blue Jays will be the right-hander Buchholz. They sport a 22-26 record against righties.
Predictions: SU Winner – TOR, O/U – Over
Notes
When leading after 7 innings, Toronto is 18-12, while Boston is 12-15.
The Red Sox are coming into this matchup after a high-scoring game where they scored a whopping 10 runs. The Blue Jays have a 1-2 record when opponents score that many runs or more.
The Blue Jays are coming into the game with nine consecutive wins, while the Red Sox currently have a losing streak of four.
When they outhit their opponents, the Blue Jays are 28-5. The Red Sox have a 23-4 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking first in runs, Toronto has earned 338 this season. Boston ranks 24th with 238 runs.
Boston and Toronto both rank in the top five of the league in walks. Boston sits at fourth with 202 this season and Toronto ranks fifth with 199.
When the Red Sox hit at least one home run, they are 20-18. When the Blue Jays hit at least one homer, they have a 28-15 record.
