Jesse Chavez (2-5, 2.11 ERA) starts for the Oakland Athletics (23-34) as they square off against Joe Kelly (1-4, 5.83 ERA) and the Boston Red Sox (25-31) in the second of a three-game series at Fenway Park. The Red Sox won the last game 4-2 and Boston leads the series 1-0. Action begins at 4:05 p.m. ET on Saturday, Jun. 6 and can be seen on CSN-CA and NESN.
Kelly pitched 5.0 innings in his most recent start, surrendering one, striking out three and walking two in a 4-3 defeat to the Rangers. Dustin Pedroia (.311, 25 Rs, 8 HRs, 23 RBIs, 1 SB) continued his strong play yesterday, going 3 for 4 with two runs. Against the Red Sox, Chavez is 0-0 with a 0.73 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, and 10 strikeouts.
Boston is a slim -114 favorite at home against Oakland. The Over/Under (O/U) is sitting at eight runs for this matchup. The Red Sox have an overall money line of -1,309 and a record as the favorite of 15-21. The Red Sox have seen a decline in scoring as of late, averaging 2.8 runs during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 3.8 runs per game.
In games where it is the underdog, Oakland has a 9-12 record and an overall money line of -1,554. The Athletics are tough outs for opponents, ranking third in the AL with 8.9 hits per game. Oakland’s pitching staff is one of the top in the AL, with a 3.67 ERA. When it comes to preventing batters from getting hits, the Athletics are fifth in the AL with an average of 8.0 hits allowed per game.
The Red Sox lead the season series, 3-1. The Red Sox have a 17-22 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Chavez takes the mound. Kelly (RHP) will be on the hill against the Athletics, who have a 20-23 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – OAK, O/U – Over
Notes
When leading after 7 innings, Boston is 11-12, while Oakland is 10-20.
The Red Sox are coming into this game after allowing one walk during their last outing. The Athletics have a 3-7 record when opponents give up that many walks or fewer.
When they are outhit, the Red Sox are 4-26. The Athletics have a 4-21 record when opponents outhit them.
Ranking 17th in home runs, Oakland has hit 49 this season. Boston ranks 14th with 52 home runs.
Ranking 11th, Boston is in the top half of the league in hits, notching 8.24 per game. Oakland ranks in the top five at third with 8.89.
Ranking 23rd, Boston is near the bottom of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.685). Oakland ranks in the top half at 15th with an OPS of .709.
When the Athletics allow at least one home run, they are 5-21. When the Red Sox allow one or more homers, they have a 10-26 record.
