The Boston Red Sox and the Cleveland Guardians will cross paths for the sixth time this season when they gather at Fenway Park on Wednesday night.
MLB Score Record
Cleveland (49-47) took home an 8-3 victory on Tuesday behind multi-hit efforts from left fielder Steven Kwan, shortstop Amed Rosario, and designated hitter Josh Naylor.
Relief pitcher Kirk McCarty threw four scoreless innings, allowing his team to jump out to a five-run advantage.
The Guardians’ win evened the series, as Boston (49-49) was on the right side of a 3-1 decision in the opener on Monday. Six different Red Sox batters recorded a hit in that one.
Boston Red Sox vs. Cleveland Guardians Betting Analysis
Red Sox Analysis
In the American League East, a grouping in which each team is .500 or better, Boston goes into this one in last place.
The Red Sox are 17 games out of first place — and it doesn’t help their case that they’ve dropped eight of their last ten games.
Nathan Eovaldi Analysis
The home team is slated to send right-hander Nathan Eovaldi to the mound. To this point in the season, over 14 starts, he has a 4-3 record and a 4.30 ERA.
After Boston won five of his starts in a row — spanning from May through mid-July — he had a performance he’d rather forget about.
Against Toronto last Friday, he pitched 2.2 innings, allowing eight hits and nine earned runs. The Red Sox wound up losing, 28-5. Still, in seven of his last nine outings against MLB teams, he’s conceded three or fewer earned runs.
The Red Sox leave some room for improvement with their 4.29 team ERA, which is among the worst in the bigs.
Boston’s Offense
Offensively, Boston has done well. The team’s .255 collective batting average is good enough for fifth-best in the major leagues, and they rank in the top third of the bigs in doubles and total runs scored.
Third baseman Rafael Devers has been a big part of the push, having posted a team-leading .324 average at the dish, along with 22 home runs. Shortstop Xander Bogaerts is hitting .317 and has a .388 on-base percentage.
Second baseman Trevor Story has piled up 58 RBIs, while Devers (55) and left fielder Alex Verdugo (50) follow close behind in that category.
At home, backstop Christian Vazquez, designated hitter J.D. Martinez, and right fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. have all been able to chip in. Each of those three is hitting .296 or better and has at least 18 RBIs in Boston.
Guardians Analysis
Cleveland Guardians is battling for the top spot in the American League Central, as they’ve currently 2.5 games behind the division-leading Minnesota Twins at this juncture. It would help if they could improve on the road, as they’ve gone 24-28 in away games this year.
Cal Quantrill Analysis
The Guardians’ Cal Quantrill will oppose Eovaldi, sporting a 7-5 mark and a 3.75 ERA. He’s won four of his last five starts, including an 8-2 decision on the road against the Chicago White Sox last Friday.
He went five frames in that matchup, giving up six knocks and two earned runs. In 18 starts this campaign, he’s only given up more than four runs once.
On the hill, the team has essentially been average. His 3.89 ERA ranks 15th in the bigs; however, his walk total grades out in the top third of MLB.
Cleveland’s Batting Average
In the batter’s box, Cleveland ranks fifth in the AL in average (.252) and near the bottom in terms of home runs (74). Of every MLB club, only the Detroit Tigers have gone long on fewer occasions.
Third baseman Jose Ramirez has accounted for over a quarter of the squad’s dingers, pacing the order with 19.
He’s also driven in 79 runs, which is more than all but two others at the game’s top level. Second baseman Andres Gimenez is the only member of the team to be hitting better than .300.
Gimenez and Ramirez have done especially well on the road, as they’re both swinging for a .310 average or better. They’ve combined to drive in 74 runs away from Progressive Field.
MLB Injury Report for Today
Two of the Red Sox’s key pieces — Devers and Story — won’t be playing in this one. They’re both currently on the injured list, along with right fielder Christian Arroyo. Their absence is obviously a big blow.
Boston Red Sox vs. Cleveland Guardians Betting Preview
Now that you’ve seen the Guardians vs. Red Sox betting analysis, let’s take a quick look at the odds of MLB, which favor the hosts to win this one. Boston is -1.5 on the run line at +134, while the Guardians are -162 to cover the spread.
On the moneyline, the Red Sox are -134 and Cleveland a +114 underdog on MLB odds. The total has been set at nine runs, with the over being -110 and the under the same at the time of this writing.
Boston Red Sox vs. Cleveland Guardians Betting Prediction
With a pair of Boston’s best offensive talents not suiting up, these free MLB picks are likely to make you some money. Take the Guardians to win outright on the fact that Quantrill has done a good enough job lately to command some respect.
It definitely doesn’t hurt that he has a hitter as effective as Ramirez in his corner, either, something to keep in mind when making MLB picks today.
MLB Pick: Guardians (+114)
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