Marcus Stroman (5-1, 3.89 ERA) and the Toronto Blue Jays (25-25) meet Rick Porcello (7-2, 3.47 ERA) and the Boston Red Sox (29-19) in the second of a three-game division series at the Rogers Centre. The Blue Jays won the last game 7-5, and Toronto leads the series 1-0. The game gets underway at 1:07 p.m. ET on Saturday, May. 28 and will air on NESN and RSN.
In his last start, Stroman pitched 7.2 innings, giving up one run, striking out three and walking two in a 3-1 victory over the Twins. Josh Donaldson (.257, 39 Rs, 13 HRs, 29 RBIs, 3 SBs) continued his strong season yesterday, going 4 for 5 with two runs, two home runs, and five RBIs. The Red Sox were also victorious the last time Porcello pitched. He pitched well, going 5.2 innings, allowing two runs, striking out five and walking one in a 5-2 victory over the Indians. David Ortiz (.337, 24 Rs, 12 HRs, 45 RBIs, 1 SB) has been hitting the ball well for the Red Sox, going 2 for 4 yesterday with one run, one home run, and two RBIs.
The odds are even for this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is currently unavailable. Against teams in the AL East, the Blue Jays have a SU record of 10-10. Over their past 10 games, Toronto’s offense has been playing lights out, averaging 0.0 runs per game, well over their season average of 0.0. They typically aren’t overmatched by pitchers, ranking fifth in the AL with an average of only 8.8 strikeouts per home game. Toronto’s pitching staff has put it all together in the past 10 games. Its average runs allowed per game dropped to 0.0 during that span, compared to its 0.0 season average. An area where the Blue Jays are particularly strong is striking batters out, where they average 7.3 K’s per game.
Against divisional opponents, the Red Sox are 13-14 SU. The Red Sox are the number one overall scoring offense in the AL, averaging 0.0 runs per game so far. The top hitting team in the AL are the Red Sox, who average 10.4 hits per game. The last 10 games have really brought the best out of the Boston pitchers. They’ve allowed 0.0 runs per game during that span, which is lower than their season average of 0.0. They also average just 7.3 hits allowed per road game, fifth-best in the AL.
Predictions: SU Winner – BOS
Notes
When leading after seven innings, Boston is 16-7, while Toronto is 8-12.
The Red Sox managed to give up four walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Blue Jays who are heading in with a 13-15 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
When they are outhit, the Red Sox are 1-13. The Blue Jays have a 4-17 record when opponents outhit them.
Boston ranks in the top half of the league at 11th when it comes to home runs, hitting 55 this season. Toronto ranks in the top 10 with 64.
Boston tops the league in hits with 10.44 per game this season. Toronto ranks near the bottom at 24th with 7.90.
Ranking first in on-base plus slugging percentage, Boston has an OPS of .842 this season. Toronto ranks 18th with an OPS of .720.
The Red Sox are 18-15 in games where they allow one or more home runs. The Blue Jays are 13-18 when they allow at least one homer.
