Boston heads into this game looking to replicate last Monday’s season-opening victory (6-2) over Cleveland. But this time, the Red Sox will hope to receive a solid performance on the mound out of Clay Buchholz, who’ll be matching up against the Indian’s starter Carlos Carrasco in tonight’s second meeting of a three-game series at Progressive Field. Who will succeed in leading their respective clubs to the win?
Let’s read on below for a closer look at this American League showdown. And if you’re craving for some heated action in the NBA, click here for our comprehensive preview of the match between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers.
Boston Red Sox vs. Cleveland Indians Betting Preview
Where: Progressive Field, Cleveland, Ohio
When: Wednesday, April 6, 2016, 6:10 PM ET
Line: Boston Red Sox (+125) vs. Cleveland Indians (-135); total: 7.0 – view all MLB lines
TV Broadcast: STO, NESN
Betting on the Boston Red Sox (1-0)
The price was so right during the Boston Red Sox’s season-opener against the Cleveland Indians.
David Price, who agreed to a seven-year, $217 million contract with Boston in the offseason, pitched magnificently in his Red Sox debut, logging in six solid innings of two-run ball. He also struck out 10 batters to ultimately lead the team towards the commanding 6-2 victory.
Now, the Red Sox set their sights on a 2-0 start when they send Clay Buchholz on the mound this time around. The veteran righty went 7-7 with a 3.26 ERA before his 2015 campaign was cut short due to a serious elbow injury. But he seems to be all ready to make up for lost time in his 10th season with Boston.
Buchholz had a relatively solid Spring Training, going 1-1 with a 3.86 ERA, a 1.57 WHIP and .241 opponents’ batting average throughout four games. And also, he’s limited the Indians to a .191 batting average despite carrying an ERA of 4.13 across five career starts.
On offense, meanwhile, everybody’s attention is bound to be on David Ortiz, who started off his farewell tour with a bang. The Big Papi finished 2-of-4 at the plate, which included the 504th homer of his career, in the win versus Cleveland. Ortiz should also be able to have another efficient outing tonight, as he boasts a lifetime batting average of .400 opposite the Indians’ starter in Carlos Carrasco.
Boston is 6-1 in its last seven games following a win.
For the second-straight year and the seventh time in eight seasons, the Cleveland Indians have lost their season-opener.
Corey Kluber, who was last Monday’s Opening Day starter against Boston, couldn’t deliver the goods on the mound as he allowed nine hits with four earned runs in over six frames. But this is just the first game for Cleveland and it’s way too early to start making any bold judgments about this team.
So moving on to tonight’s second game opposite the Red Sox, the Indians will lean on Carlos Carrasco, who finished with a 14-12 record and 3.60 ERA across a career-high 30 starts in 2015, to help them bounce back and (hopefully) capture win No. 1 this season.
The Indians are probably going to be more competitive in this one. Carrasco’s performance in the preseason was very promising, as he finished with a 3.28 ERA and a 23/3 K/BB ratio throughout 24 2/3 innings. Carrasco, however, owns a .345 opponents’ batting average in four career games (two starts) versus Boston.
That being said, the pressure is on Cleveland’s offense, which averaged 4.16 runs per game last year, to get it going at the plate.
Look to the bat of Francisco Lindor or Jason Kipnis to do just that. Both were very efficient at the plate in the previous season with batting averages of .313 and .303, respectively. Lindor, in particular, is going to try build on his efforts in the opener versus Boston, where he managed to get a pair of hits.
Cleveland is 10-3 in its last 13 games following a loss.
