Sean O’Sullivan (1-0, 6.43 ERA) and Chris Devenski (0-2, 1.72 ERA) take the hill in the last of a four-game series between the Boston Red Sox (23-14) and the Houston Astros (15-23) at Fenway Park. The Red Sox won the last game 6-5, and Boston leads the series 2-1. Action begins at 1:35 p.m. ET on Sunday, May. 15 and can be seen on RTSW and NESN.
O’Sullivan pitched 6.0 innings in his last outing, surrendering four runs and striking out three in a 13-5 win over the Athletics. David Ortiz (.320, 20 Rs, 10 HRs, 33 RBIs, 1 SB) continued his strong play yesterday, going 3 for 5 with one run, one home run, and three RBIs. Devenski went 6.2 innings, surrendering two runs, striking out five and walking two in a 4-0 defeat to the Indians in his most recent start. Jose Altuve (.345, 35 Rs, 9 HRs, 23 RBIs, 13 SBs) has been successful at the plate for the Astros, going 2 for 3 yesterday with one run.
The odds for Boston and Houston are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is unavailable as of now. The Red Sox have no trouble scoring as they rank second in the AL in offense with 0.0 runs per game. The Red Sox lead the MLB in batting average with a phenomenal team average of .297. Boston is one of the best in the MLB in terms of steals, swiping 27 bases. Boston’s pitching staff has been doing better against opposing offenses during the last 10 games, only allowing an average of 0.0 runs per game, well under their season average of 0.0.
Offensively, the Astros have really picked up the pace in the last 10 games. They have exceeded their season average of 0.0 runs per game by averaging 0.0 during that stretch. The Astros have a dynamic offense, ranking fifth in the league with 131 extra base hits. The Astros are an excellent base-stealing team with an MLB-best 31 stolen bases. The Astros allow 0.0 runs per game, but have improved upon those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 0.0 runs per game during that span. When it comes to issuing walks, the Astros have the fifth-fewest in the AL with an average of just 2.7 walks allowed per game.
The Red Sox lead the season series, 4-2.
Predictions: SU Winner – BOS
Notes
Houston has won 33% (5-10) of its games when leading after seven innings. However, Boston has won 72% (13-5) of its games when taking a late lead.
The Astros managed to give up five walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Red Sox who are heading in with an 8-1 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
When they outhit their opponents, the Astros are 10-3. The Red Sox have a 22-3 record when outhitting opponents.
Boston ranks at the top of the league when it comes to runs with 219 this season. Houston ranks in the top half with 157.
Ranking 12th, Boston is in the top half of the league in walks, notching 120 this season. Houston ranks in the top five at fourth with 155.
When the Red Sox hit at least one home run, they are 18-9. When the Astros hit at least one homer, they have a 12-16 record.
