Eduardo Rodriguez (6-5, 4.83 ERA) and Trevor Bauer (9-9, 4.35 ERA) take the hill in the second of a three-game series between the Boston Red Sox (52-66) and the Cleveland Indians (55-62) at Fenway Park. The Indians won the last game 8-2 and Cleveland leads the series 1-0. Action begins at 7:10 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Aug. 18 and can be seen on STOh and NESN.
Rodriguez pitched 5.0 innings in his most recent start, surrendering eight runs, striking out two and walking one in a 14-6 defeat to the Marlins. David Ortiz (.263, 53 Rs, 25 HRs, 73 RBIs) went 1 for 4 yesterday. Bauer went 3.1 innings, surrendering six runs, striking out one and walking two in an 8-6 defeat to the Yankees in his last outing. Michael Brantley (.313, 49 Rs, 8 HRs, 64 RBIs, 13 SBs) has been successful at the plate, going 2 for 5 yesterday with one run, one RBI, and one stolen base.
Boston is a -123 favorite against Cleveland and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at nine runs. The Red Sox have an overall money line of -1,983 and a record as the favorite of 31-38. Boston is a disappointing 1-3 as the favorite over its last 10 games. 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 underdog, Cleveland has a 16-23 record and an overall money line of -2,055. They have been on a bit of a dry streak over their last 10 games. They managed a 0-3 record when playing as the underdog. 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 5.8 during that stretch. Cleveland is excellent at drawing walks with an AL-best 3.4 per game. When it comes to preventing batters from getting on base, the Indians are one of the best in the league with a WHIP of 1.20 for the season.
The Indians have the edge in the season series, 1-0. The Red Sox have a 39-45 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Bauer takes the mound. Rodriguez (LHP) will be on the hill against the Indians, who have a inferior 14-25 record against left-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – Cle, O/U – Over
Notes
The Red Sox are coming off of a hot pitching game where they recorded 11 strikeouts. The Indians have a record of 9-8 when they are struck out that many times or more.
When they are outhit, the Indians are 8-47. The Red Sox have a 10-55 record when opponents outhit them.
Cleveland ranks near the bottom of the league at 26th when it comes to home runs, hitting 95 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 8.61 per game. Boston ranks in the top five at second with 9.15.
Ranking 14th, Cleveland is in the top half of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.716). Boston ranks in the top 10 at 10th with an OPS of .734.
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 25-55 record.