Josh Tomlin (6-2, 3.03 ERA) and the Cleveland Indians (78-80) meet Henry Owens (4-3, 3.84 ERA) and the Boston Red Sox (78-81) in the first of a three-game series at Progressive Field. The game gets underway at 7:10 p.m. ET on Friday, Oct. 2 and will air on STOh and NESN.
In his most recent outing, Tomlin pitched 3.2 innings, allowing five runs in a 9-5 loss to the Royals. The Red Sox were victorious over the Orioles 2-0 the last time Owens pitched. He went 7.2 innings, allowing zero runs, striking out five and walking one. David Ortiz (.272, 72 Rs, 36 HRs, 105 RBIs) has been hitting the ball well for the Red Sox, going 2 for 2 yesterday with one run and one RBI.
Cleveland is a -138 favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at eight runs. The Indians are 52-51 as the favorite and have an overall money line of -1,621. Over the last 10 games, they have performed poorly when playing as the favorite (2-6). They have been very patient at the plate during home games, ranking second in the AL with an average of 3.5 walks per game. Transitioning to the pitching staff, the Indians don’t allow many hitters to get on base, ranking fourth in the league with a 1.19 WHIP.
On the other side, the Red Sox have a record of 40-39 when they are the underdog and are -321 overall with the money line. Over the past 10 matchups, they are 6-4 SU and have played well as the underdog with a 6-1 record. The last 10 games have really brought the best out of the Boston pitchers. They’ve allowed 2.9 runs per game during that span, which is lower than their season average of 4.7.
The Red Sox are 2-1 against the Indians this season. The Indians will take on a left-hander (Owens) in this game and have a 22-30 record against left-handed starting pitchers this season. Taking the hill against the Red Sox will be the right-hander Tomlin. They sport a 57-57 record against righties.
Predictions: SU Winner – Cle, O/U – Over
Notes
The Indians managed to give up four walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Red Sox who are coming in with a 27-26 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
When they are outhit, the Indians are 11-59. The Red Sox have a 15-67 record when opponents outhit them.
Ranking 22nd in home runs, Cleveland has hit 138 this season. Boston ranks 15th with 160 home runs.
Ranking sixth, Cleveland is in the top 10 of the league in hits, notching 8.66 per game. Boston ranks in the top five at second with 9.33.
Ranking 14th, Cleveland is in the top half of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.725). Boston ranks in the top 10 at sixth with an OPS of .747.
When the Red Sox allow at least one home run, they are 39-65. When the Indians allow one or more homers, they have a 46-62 record.
