Rick Porcello (5-1, 2.95 ERA) and Eric Surkamp (0-2, 5.59 ERA) take the hill in the last of a three-game series between the Boston Red Sox (20-13) and the Oakland Athletics (14-20) at Fenway Park. The Red Sox won the last game 13-5, and Boston leads the series 2-0. Action begins at 7:10 p.m. ET on Wednesday, May. 11 and can be seen on CSCA and NESN.
Porcello pitched 7.0 innings in his last outing, surrendering three runs, striking out five and walking two in a 3-2 defeat to the Yankees. David Ortiz (.321, 18 Rs, 9 HRs, 29 RBIs, 1 SB) continued his strong play yesterday, going 3 for 5 with one run and two RBIs. Surkamp went 4.2 innings, surrendering six runs, striking out three and walking four in a 6-3 defeat to the Blue Jays in his most recent start. Marcus Semien (.213, 14 Rs, 8 HRs, 16 RBIs, 1 SB) has been successful at the plate for the Athletics, going 2 for 4 yesterday with one run and one RBI.
The odds for Boston and Oakland are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is currently unavailable. 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 .288. Boston is one of the best in the MLB in terms of steals, swiping 25 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 Athletics 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 Athletics 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.
The Red Sox have the edge in the season series, 2-0.
Predictions: SU Winner – BOS
Notes
Oakland has won 36% (5-9) of its games when leading after seven innings. However, Boston has won 71% (12-5) of its games when taking a late lead.
The Athletics managed to give up four walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Red Sox who are heading in with a 10-3 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
When outhit, the Red Sox and the Athletics both have losing records. Boston has a 1-8 record in these situations while Oakland is 2-16.
Oakland ranks in the bottom half of the league at 17th when it comes to home runs, hitting 33 this season. Boston ranks in the top half with 37.
Ranking first in hits, Boston has earned 10.15 per game this season. Oakland ranks 13th with 8.50 hits.
Ranking 26th, Oakland is near the bottom of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.681). Boston ranks in the top five at third with an OPS of .822.
The Athletics are 6-17 in games where they allow one or more home runs. The Red Sox are 13-9 when they allow at least one homer.
