Henry Owens (2-2, 5.87 ERA) and R.A. Dickey (10-10, 4.09 ERA) start in the second of a three-game series between the Boston Red Sox (65-72) and the Toronto Blue Jays (78-59) at Fenway Park. The Red Sox won the last game 11-4 and Boston leads the series 1-0. Action begins at 7:10 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Sep. 8 and can be seen on NESN and RSN.
Owens pitched 1.2 innings in his last outing, surrendering seven runs, striking out two and walking two in a 13-8 defeat to the Yankees. David Ortiz (.270, 63 Rs, 31 HRs, 87 RBIs) continued his strong play yesterday, going 2 for 4 with one run and one RBI. Dickey went 9.0 innings, surrendering one run and striking out six in a 5-1 win over the Indians in his most recent start. Josh Donaldson (.306, 107 Rs, 37 HRs, 115 RBIs, 5 SBs) has been successful at the plate for the Blue Jays, going 3 for 4 yesterday with two runs, one home run, and one RBI.
Toronto takes on Boston as a -140 favorite. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is sitting at nine runs. The Red Sox have an overall money line of -1,162 and a record as the underdog of 27-33. Boston has had a discouraging season against division opponents, earning records of 10-15 and 21-32 as the underdog and SU respectively. The Red Sox lead the AL in hits at home with an impressive 10.1 per game. Boston’s batters do not strike out very often, with only 6.9 per game. Boston’s pitchers fall apart when division rivals are on the field. Its average runs allowed per game rises to 5.5 against fellow AL East members, compared to its 4.8 season average.
Over in the other dugout, Toronto is coming in with an overall money line of +865 and an impressive record of 59-30 as the favorite. They played solid baseball as the favorite over their last 10 games with a 7-3 record, and a 7-3 record SU. Offensively, they average 5.5 runs per game, which is tops in the AL. The Blue Jays are tough outs for opponents, ranking fourth in the AL with 9.0 hits per game. Toronto is excellent at drawing walks with an AL-best 3.4 per game. When it comes to issuing walks, the Blue Jays have the fewest in the AL with only 2.5 walks allowed per game.
The Red Sox have a 48-51 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Dickey takes the mound. Owens (LHP) will be on the hill against the Blue Jays, who have a 19-12 record against left-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – Tor, O/U – Over
Notes
Boston has won 47% (32-36) of its games when leading after 7 innings. However, Toronto has won 59% (36-25) of its games when taking a late lead.
The Blue Jays are coming into this game after allowing one walk during their last outing. The Red Sox have an 11-23 record when opponents give up that many walks or fewer.
When they outhit their opponents, the Red Sox are 51-8. The Blue Jays have a 62-7 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking first in runs, Toronto has earned 751 this season. Boston ranks third with 635 runs.
Ranking 14th, Boston is in the top half of the league in walks, notching 398 this season. Toronto ranks in the top five at second with 467.
When the Red Sox hit at least one home run, they are 50-41. When the Blue Jays hit at least one homer, they have a 71-30 record.
