Wade Miley (0-0, 3.38 ERA) and the Boston Red Sox (6-2) meet Gio Gonzalez (0-1, 4.26 ERA) and the Washington Nationals (2-6) in the last of a three-game interleague series at Fenway Park. The Red Sox won the last game 8-7 and Boston leads the series 2-0. The game starts at 1:35 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Apr. 15 and will air on MASN and NESN.
Miley is 1-2 with a 2.03 ERA, 16 strikeouts and 13 walks against the Nationals in his career. Xander Bogaerts (.433 ) continued his hot start yesterday, going 2 for 3 with two runs and one RBI. In his pitching opportunities against the Red Sox, Gonzalez is 3-1 with a 5.24 ERA, 35 strikeouts and 16 walks. Michael Taylor (.242 ) has been hitting the ball well to start the season, going 2 for 4 yesterday with three RBIs.
Boston is a -116 favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is eight runs. The Red Sox are 2-1 as the favorite and have an overall money line of +269. The Red Sox are a power hitting team with 10 home runs, one of the highest totals in the MLB. The Red Sox are a nightmare for opponents on the bases with seven steals, one of the highest totals in baseball. Transitioning to the pitching staff, they have been extremely effective at striking opposing batters out, averaging 9.1 strikeouts per game.
Teams in the American League have totally shut down Washington this season. The Nationals have gone without a win, holding a record of 0-1 in games where they were ranked as the underdog. Washington has stepped up their play against AL opponents averaging an impressive 4.0 runs per game compared to their 2.4 runs per game season average. Washington’s pitching staff tends to perform poorly when they play AL opponents. They’ve allowed an average of 9.0 runs per game against teams from the AL, higher than their season average of 4.1.
The previous two games have all gone Boston’s way.
Predictions: SU Winner – BOS, O/U – Over
Notes
For the second time this season, the Nationals registered at least two errors in a game.
When the Red Sox play into extra innings, they have a 1-0 record. The Nationals are 1-1 when their games exceed nine innings.
The Nationals are coming off of a weak pitching game where they recorded five strikeouts. The Red Sox have a record of 3-0 when opponents’ pitchers have that many strikeouts or fewer.
When outhit, both the Red Sox and the Nationals have records of 0-2.
Ranking 12th in home runs, Washington has hit seven this season. Boston ranks fifth with 10 home runs.
Ranking 15th, Washington is in the top half of the league in hits, notching 6.14 per game. Boston ranks in the top five at fourth with 10.14.
Ranking 25th, Washington is near the bottom of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.593). Boston ranks in the top 10 at ninth with an OPS of .719.
When the Nationals allow at least one home run, they are 1-2. When the Red Sox allow one or more homers, they have a 3-2 record.
