In this article we will formulate a Cleveland Guardians vs Boston Red Sox prediction for this MLB game on Thursday, April 25th at Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio. Let’s take a look at the prediction for game three in this series.
The Kings of the AL Central?
The Cleveland Guardians are 17-7 this season and they have won five of their last six games. Cleveland won game one in this series by a score of 4-1, but lost game two on Wednesday. Prior to this series, the Guardians swept the Athletics and won three out of four on the road against Boston. Cleveland has been one of the best teams in the MLB so far this season and they are leading the AL Central by a few games over the Royals.
The Cleveland pitching staff has a 3.15 ERA, a 1.23 WHIP, and a .226 opponent batting average. The Guardians offense has scored 128 runs with a .252 batting average and a .320 on base percentage. Josh Naylor is batting .306 with six home runs and 20 RBI’s for the Guardians this year. Most of us knew the Cleveland pitching staff would be solid this year, but their offense has been a surprise. The Guardians are seventh in runs scored and eighth in batting average through 24 games.
Boston Bats Look to Stay Hot
The Boston Red Sox are 14-11 this year and they have won five of their last seven games. Boston lost game one in this series, but they did win game two by a score of 8-0 on Wednesday. Prior to this series, the Red Sox swept the Pirates and out scored them by a total of 18-4 in three games. Boston was heavily criticized for their lack of moves in the offseason, but they are three games above .500 and sitting in third in the AL East.
The Boston pitching staff has a 2.49 ERA, a 1.11 WHIP, and a .219 opponent batting average. The Red Sox offense has scored 112 runs with a .235 batting average and a .310 on base percentage. Jarren Duran is batting .257 with one home run and nine RBI’s this season. Boston has the best team ERA in all of baseball, but their fielding has not been good this season. Offensively, the Red Sox have scored at least four runs in five of their last six games.
Starting Pitchers
The projected starting pitcher for Boston is Chase Anderson, who is 0-0 with a 2.77 ERA and a 0.85 WHIP over 13.0 innings pitched. Anderson has worked mostly out of the bullpen so far this season, so don’t expect him to go more than a few innings. Cleveland is projected to start Triston McKenzie, who is 2-2 with a 5.00 ERA and a 1.61 WHIP over 18.0 innings pitched this season. McKenzie has been inconsistent through four starts this year, but he has allowed one earned run or fewer in two of his last three. It should be noted that McKenzie’s two solid starts came against Oakland and the White Sox.
Cleveland Guardians Team Facts
- The Guardians have won each of their last six day games after playing the previous day.
- The Guardians have covered the run line in seven of their last eight day games against American League opponents.
- The ‘Inning 1 UNDER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the Guardians’ last eight day games at Progressive Field.
- The Guardians have led after 7 innings in each of their last five Thursday games.
Boston Red Sox Team Facts
- The Red Sox have won nine of their last 10 road games after playing the previous day.
- The Red Sox have covered the run line in each of their last six games after playing the previous day.
- The ‘Inning 1 OVER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the Red Sox’s last three day games.
- The Red Sox have led after 3 innings in each of their last three road day games.
- The Red Sox have led after 5 innings in each of their last six road day games.
Cleveland Guardians vs Boston Red Sox Prediction
Cleveland comes into this matchup looking for another series win and they are 7-4 at home, but Boston has been great on the road, going 11-4. The Red Sox have over achieved so far this season and I don’t think their pitching can keep it up over the course of a season. On the other hand, the Cleveland offense has also overachieved, after being one of the worst last season. I don’t like the pitching situation for either team in this game, especially when looking at McKenzie’s starts against decent teams. My Cleveland Guardians vs Boston Red Sox prediction is for this game to go over the total.