The Cleveland Guardians (27-33) host the Boston Red Sox (31-30) at Progressive Field on Wednesday. The Red Sox took Tuesday’s series opener 5-4, their third head-to-head victory in four games this season.
James Paxton went seven innings, giving up two runs on six hits and striking out nine, to get the win, and Kenley Jansen picked up his 13th save with a scoreless ninth.
Masataka Yoshida was 3 for 5 with a double and one run in the win. Will Brennan went 3 for 4 with two doubles and one RBI for the Guardians.
ON THE MOUND
Kutter Crawford (1-2, 3.48 ERA) is set to take the mound for Boston. The righty allowed one run over three innings in his last start, a 4-2 road defeat against the Rays on Saturday. He yielded two hits while striking out three in the no-decision.
Crawford has made one previous appearance against the Guardians this season, a 5-2 home loss on April 28. He surrendered one run on three hits over four innings, striking out three. Righty Tanner Bibee (1-1, 2.88 ERA) will toe the rubber for Cleveland.
It’s his first appearance of the season against the Red Sox. In his last start on Thursday, Bibee took a no-decision on the road against the Twins. He threw five innings and gave up three runs on six hits, striking out six and walking one in the 7-6 loss.
AT THE PLATE
Over the last five games, Boston has averaged only 3.6 runs a game, down from their season average of 5.1, while performing worse across the board (.235/.332/.355).
Against righties like Bibee this season, the Sox have a .761 OPS. Yoshida is the team’s most potent producer against right-handers with a .941 OPS in 149 at-bats.
Cleveland is averaging only 3.2 runs per game in the last five, down slightly from 3.6 for the season. The Guardians have a .641 OPS against right-handers in 2023, the third lowest in MLB. With a .858 OPS over 153 at-bats, Jose Ramirez has been their best hitter against right-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Boston is 14-14 away from Fenway Park in 2023, scoring 4.4 runs per game while allowing 4.4 runs. Cleveland has gone 12-16 at their home ballpark this season, averaging 2.8 runs per game while surrendering 3.9. In the last 10 meetings at Progressive Field, Boston is 8-2 with an average scoreline of 5.4-3.8.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Red Sox are fifth in the AL East, 12 games behind the division-leading Rays. The Guardians are second in the AL Central, three games behind the Twins.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
Cleveland Guardians (-140)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
