Wade Miley (10-10, 4.57 ERA) and Alec Asher (0-1, 6.35 ERA) take the hill in the second of a three-game series between the Boston Red Sox (62-72) and the Philadelphia Phillies (53-82) at Fenway Park. The Red Sox won the last game 7-5 and Boston leads the series 1-0. Action begins at 4:05 p.m. ET on Saturday, Sep. 5 and can be seen on CSPh and NESN.
Miley pitched 6.0 innings in his last outing, surrendering four runs, striking out six and walking one in a 5-4 defeat to the Mets. Mookie Betts (.277, 69 Rs, 13 HRs, 65 RBIs, 17 SBs) continued his strong play yesterday, going 2 for 3 with two runs and one RBI. Asher went 5.2 innings, surrendering four runs, striking out three and walking one in a 9-4 defeat to the Padres in his most recent start.
This one isn’t expected to be close when Boston, a big -215 favorite, takes on Philadelphia. The Over/Under (O/U) is sitting at nine runs for this matchup. The Red Sox have an overall money line of -1,462 and a record as the favorite of 34-39. In interleague play, they have had a solid season, earning 7-5 and 10-7 records as the favorite and SU respectively. The Red Sox have no trouble scoring as they rank third in the AL in offense with 4.5 runs per game. The Red Sox are one of the best in the AL in terms of hits with a phenomenal 9.2 per game. Boston’s batters do not strike out very often, with only 6.9 per game.
As for their opponent, Philadelphia is coming in with an overall money line of -548 and a disappointing record of 48-74 as the underdog. They played poorly as the underdog over their last 10 games with a 3-7 record, and a 3-7 record SU. Offensively, the Phillies have really picked up the pace in the last 10 games. They have exceeded their season average of 3.9 runs per game by averaging 5.5 during that stretch. The Phillies are tough outs for opponents, ranking fourth in the NL with 8.9 hits per road game. The Phillies allow 5.1 runs per game, but have damaged those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 7.3 runs per game during that span.
The Red Sox lead the season series, 3-1. The Red Sox have a 46-51 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Asher takes the mound. Miley (LHP) will be on the hill against the Phillies, who have a 13-17 record against left-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – Bos, O/U – Over
Notes
The Red Sox are coming off of a hot pitching game where they recorded 11 strikeouts. The Phillies have a record of 4-18 when they are struck out that many times or more.
When they are outhit, the Red Sox are 13-60. The Phillies have an 18-62 record when opponents outhit them.
Philadelphia ranks near the bottom of the league at 28th when it comes to home runs, hitting 106 this season. Boston ranks in the top half at 15th with 130.
Ranking sixth, Philadelphia is in the top 10 of the league in hits, notching 8.67 per game. Boston ranks in the top five at third with 9.20.
Ranking 26th, Philadelphia is near the bottom of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.693). Boston ranks in the top 10 at sixth with an OPS of .740.
When the Phillies allow at least one home run, they are 25-61, well-matched with the Red Sox who are 31-59 when allowing at least one homer.
