The Cincinnati Reds (26-29) are on the road to face the Boston Red Sox (28-27) at Fenway Park on Thursday with the visitors eyeing a sweep of the three-game Interleague series. The Reds lead the series 2-0 after winning 5-4 on Wednesday, their fifth straight victory overall.
Reliever Ian Gibaut was credited with the win after throwing one scoreless inning, and Buck Farmer earned his first save of the season with a scoreless ninth.
Spencer Steer was 1 for 3 with a home run and two RBIs in the win, stretching his on-base streak to 13 games. Masataka Yoshida went 2 for 4 with a home run and a double for the Red Sox. He scored two runs. Enmanuel Valdez added a solo home run.
ON THE MOUND
Hunter Greene (1-4, 4.18 ERA) is in line to take the mound for Cincinnati. The righty ranks fourth in the NL in strikeouts (80). Greene threw six no-hit innings in his last start, a 9-0 road win over the Cubs on Friday.
He got the win, striking out 11 and walking two. Greene is making his first appearance against the Red Sox this season. Greene made one start against the Red Sox in 2022, a 7-1 road loss on June 1.
He surrendered four runs on six hits over 3.2 innings, striking out eight. Lefty Chris Sale (5-2, 4.72 ERA) will toe the rubber for Boston. It’s his first appearance of the season against the Reds.
In his last start on Friday, Sale got the win on the road against the Diamondbacks. He threw five innings and gave up one run on four hits, striking out three and walking one in the 7-2 triumph.
AT THE PLATE
Over the last five games, Cincinnati has averaged 7.8 runs a game, up from their season average of 4.7, while performing better across the board (.337/.405/.534). Against left-handed pitchers like Sale this season, the Reds have a .764 OPS.
Nick Senzel is the team’s best performer against left-handers with a 1.174 OPS in 43 at-bats. Boston is averaging only 4.6 runs per game in the last five, down slightly from 5.2 for the season.
The Sox have a .766 OPS against righties in 2023, fourth highest in the league. With a .926 OPS over 133 at-bats, Yoshida has been their best hitter against right-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Cincinnati is on a five-game winning streak on the road, bringing their record to 12-15 in 2023. The Reds have scored 4.6 runs per game away from home, while allowing 4.7 runs.
Boston has gone 15-13 at Fenway Park this season, averaging 6.0 runs per game while surrendering 5.6. In nine meetings at Fenway Park, Boston is 6-3 with an average scoreline of 5.7-3.0.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Reds are third in the NL Central, three games behind the division-leading Brewers. The Red Sox are fifth in the AL East, 10 games behind the Rays.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
Boston Red Sox (-155)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
