Corey Kluber (8-12, 3.34 ERA), attemping to pick up his 200th strikeout of the season, takes the hill for the Cleveland Indians (55-63) as they square off against Joe Kelly (5-6, 5.69 ERA) and the Boston Red Sox (53-66) in the last of a three-game series at Fenway Park. The Red Sox won the last game 9-1 and the series is currently tied 1-1. Action begins at 7:10 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Aug. 19 and can be seen on STOh and NESN.
Kelly pitched 6.0 innings in his last outing, surrendering one run, striking out six and walking two in a 15-1 win over the Mariners. David Ortiz (.266, 54 Rs, 25 HRs, 74 RBIs) continued his strong play yesterday, going 2 for 4 with one run and one RBI. Kluber went 9.0 innings, surrendering one run, striking out seven and walking one in a 6-1 win over the Twins in his most recent start. Michael Brantley (.313, 50 Rs, 9 HRs, 65 RBIs, 13 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday with one run, one home run, and one RBI.
Cleveland takes on Boston as a -139 favorite. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is sitting at eight runs. The Red Sox have an overall money line of -2,083 and a record as the underdog of 21-28. The Red Sox have seen an uptick in scoring as of late, averaging 7.8 runs during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 4.5 runs per game.
In games where it is the favorite, Cleveland has a 39-39 record and an overall money line of -1,955. They played solid baseball as the favorite over their last 10 games with a 6-2 record, and a 6-4 record SU. Offensively, the Indians have really picked up the pace in the last 10 games. They have exceeded their season average of 4.0 runs per game by averaging 6.3 during that stretch. Cleveland is excellent at drawing walks with an AL-best 3.4 per game.
The Red Sox have a 39-46 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Kluber takes the mound. Kelly (RHP) will be on the hill against the Indians, who have a 41-37 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – Cle, O/U – Over
Notes
The Red Sox are coming into this game after allowing zero walks during their last outing. The Indians have a 1-8 record when opponents give up that many walks.
When they are outhit, the Indians are 8-48. The Red Sox have a 10-55 record when opponents outhit them.
Cleveland ranks near the bottom of the league at 25th when it comes to home runs, hitting 96 this season. Boston ranks in the top half at 13th with 113.
Ranking eighth, Cleveland is in the top 10 of the league in hits, notching 8.62 per game. Boston ranks in the top five at third with 9.12.
Ranking 15th, Cleveland is in the top half of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.714). Boston ranks in the top 10 at ninth with an OPS of .736.
The Indians are 34-51 when they allow at least one home run. The Red Sox perform similarly when they allow one or more homers with a 26-55 record.
