Archie Bradley (4-7, 4.80 ERA) and the Arizona Diamondbacks (48-67) are in Boston to go up against Clay Buchholz (4-9, 5.64 ERA) and the Red Sox (62-52) in a matchup that has the potential for plenty of offense. This is the second of a three-game series at Fenway Park. The Red Sox won the last game 9-4, and Boston leads the series 1-0. The game gets underway at 7:10 p.m. ET on Saturday, Aug. 13 and will air on FSAZ and NESN.
In his last start, Buchholz pitched 0.2 inning, giving up zero runs in a 9-4 loss to the Yankees. David Ortiz (.312, 54 Rs, 26 HRs, 90 RBIs, 2 SBs) continued his strong season yesterday, going 3 for 4 with three runs, one home run, and two RBIs. The Diamondbacks were victorious the last time Bradley pitched. He tossed 4.2 innings, allowing three runs, striking out eight and walking three in a 9-3 victory over the Brewers. Paul Goldschmidt (.299, 68 Rs, 18 HRs, 74 RBIs, 16 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday with one run.
Boston is a heavy -183 favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is 10 runs. The Red Sox are 44-37 as the favorite and have an overall money line of -751. They come into the game with notable records of 8-3 as the favorite and 9-5 SU against the National League. The Red Sox have the most prolific offense in the entire AL, averaging 5.4 runs per game. The Red Sox have the top batting average in the league at .283. The Red Sox typically don’t swing at bad pitches, which has led to an impressive 3.4 walks per game. Whenever a National League opponent shows up on the calendar, the Red Sox pitch better. They allow an average of 4.7 runs per game, but allow just 3.6 against teams from the NL.
On the other side, the Diamondbacks have a subpar record of 26-42 when they are the underdog and are -1,613 overall with the money line. Against teams in the American League, they are 5-9 SU and have played poorly as the underdog with a 2-7 record. Arizona is one of the top road hitting teams in the NL with an average of 9.3 hits per contest. The Diamondbacks have racked up 85 steals on the year, making them one of the most threatening base-running teams in the league. The last 10 games have really brought the worst out of the Arizona pitchers. They allowed 7.1 runs per game during that span, which is higher than their season average of 5.4.
The only other game between the two teams went Boston’s way. The Red Sox will take on a right-hander (Bradley) in this game and have a 48-39 record against right-handed starting pitchers this season. The right-handed Buchholz will take the mound against the Diamondbacks, who have a 33-51 record against righty starters this season.
Predictions: SU Winner – BOS, O/U – Over
Notes
When leading after seven innings, Boston is 31-24, while Arizona is 22-35.
The Diamondbacks are coming into this game after allowing no walks during their last outing. The Red Sox have a 3-4 record when opponents don’t give up any walks.
When they outhit their opponents, the Diamondbacks are 35-13. The Red Sox have a 54-15 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking first in runs, Boston has earned 618 this season. Arizona ranks 15th with 513 runs.
Ranking 26th, Arizona is near the bottom of the league in walks, notching 315 this season. Boston ranks in the top 10 at eighth with 387.
When the Red Sox hit at least one home run, they are 50-35, well-matched with the Diamondbacks who are 40-37 when hitting one or more homers.
