Henry Owens (0-0, 8.10 ERA) and Masahiro Tanaka (1-0, 2.92 ERA) are on the hill in the first of a three-game series between the Boston Red Sox (12-10) and the New York Yankees (8-12) at Fenway Park. Action begins at 7:10 p.m. ET on Friday, Apr. 29 and can be seen on NESN, YES and MLBN.
Owens pitched 3.1 innings in his last outing, surrendering three runs, striking out four and walking four in a 7-5 win over the Astros. Dustin Pedroia (.337, 18 Rs, 3 HRs, 13 RBIs) continued his strong play yesterday, going 2 for 5 with one run and one RBI. Tanaka went 7.0 innings, surrendering two runs, striking out seven and walking one in a 3-2 win over the Rays in his most recent start. Starlin Castro (.289, 4 Rs, 3 HRs, 12 RBIs, 2 SBs) has been successful at the plate for the Yankees, going 2 for 4 Wednesday with one RBI.
The odds for Boston and New York are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is currently not available. Within its division, Boston has a record of 3-3 SU. The Red Sox have no trouble scoring as they rank fifth in the AL in offense with 0.0 runs per game. The Red Sox are one of the best in the MLB in terms of batting average with an impressive team average of .278. Boston leads the MLB in steals, swiping 20 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.
The Yankees are 6-7 against teams in their division. Offensively, the Yankees 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 Yankees are an excellent base stealing team with 17 stolen bases, ranking fourth in the MLB. The Yankees 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 Yankees have the third-fewest in the AL with an average of just 2.2 walks allowed per game.
Predictions: SU Winner – BOS
Notes
The Yankees lost their last game by a one-run margin. In games decided by one run, the Red Sox are 2-2. The Yankees are 3-3 in close games this season.
The Red Sox managed to give up five walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Yankees who are coming in with a 1-3 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
When they are outhit, the Yankees are 0-10. The Red Sox have a 1-6 record when opponents outhit them.
Ranking 27th in home runs, Boston has hit 17 this season. New York ranks 15th with 21 home runs.
Ranking 19th, New York is in the bottom half of the league in hits, notching 8.00 per game. Boston ranks in the top five at third with 9.82.
Ranking 25th, New York is near the bottom of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.679). Boston ranks in the top 10 at ninth with an OPS of .787.
The Yankees are 4-8 in games where they allow one or more home runs. The Red Sox are 7-8 when they allow at least one homer.
