Henry Owens (1-1, 3.60 ERA) and the Boston Red Sox (52-64) meet Vidal Nuno (0-2, 2.64 ERA) and the Seattle Mariners (54-63) in the last of a three-game series at Fenway Park. The Red Sox won the last game 22-10 and Boston leads the series 2-0. The game gets underway at 1:35 p.m. ET on Sunday, Aug. 16 and will air on RTNW and NESN.
In his last start, Owens pitched 5.0 innings, allowing one run, striking out two and walking four in a 7-2 victory over the Tigers. David Ortiz (.263, 53 Rs, 25 HRs, 72 RBIs) continued his strong season yesterday, going 3 for 3 with three RBIs. The Mariners were unsuccessful the last time Nuno pitched. He had a good outing, pitching 5.0 innings, allowing two runs and striking out five in a 3-2 loss to the Orioles. Nelson Cruz (.324, 65 Rs, 35 HRs, 73 RBIs, 3 SBs) has been hitting the ball well for the Mariners, going 2 for 3 yesterday with two runs, one home run, and three RBIs.
Boston is a -138 favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is nine runs. When playing as the favorite, the Red Sox have a 31-37 record and overall money line at -1,985. Over the last 10 games, they have performed poorly when playing as the favorite (1-3). The most recent 10-game stretch for the Red Sox has gone great. Over that span, Boston is averaging 5.4 runs per game, well over their season average of 4.3. The Red Sox lead the AL in hits at home with 9.8 per game. They have been very patient at the plate, ranking fifth in the AL with an average of 3.0 walks per game.
Moving on to the away team, the Mariners come into this game with a win percentage of .479 when playing as the underdog (23-25) and an overall money line of -1,514. Seattle’s pitching staff has allowed an average of 5.7 runs per game during the last 10 games, higher than their season average of 4.3.
The Red Sox have gotten the best of the Mariners in head-to-head matchups this season, going 4-2. The Red Sox will take on a left-hander (Nuno) in this game and have a 13-19 record against left-handed starting pitchers this season. Taking the hill against the Mariners will be the left-hander Owens. They sport a 13-17 record against southpaws.
Predictions: SU Winner – Bos, O/U – Under
Notes
When leading after 7 innings, Boston is 27-30, while Seattle is 17-24.
The Mariners are coming into this meeting after a high-scoring game where they scored an impressive 10 runs. The Red Sox have a 1-13 record when opponents score that many runs or more.
When they are outhit, the Red Sox are 10-53. The Mariners have a 15-40 record when opponents outhit them.
Boston ranks in the top half of the league at 13th when it comes to home runs, hitting 110 this season. Seattle ranks in the top 10 at sixth with 135.
Ranking 13th, Seattle is in the top half of the league in hits, notching 8.22 per game. Boston ranks in the top five at third with 8.97.
Ranking 18th, Seattle is in the bottom half of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.704). Boston ranks in the top 10 at ninth with an OPS of .733.
The Mariners are 25-53 when they allow at least one home run. Boston has the same record when allowing one or more homers.
