Both the Cleveland Guardians and Boston Red Sox were division winners last year … but are well back in their respective divisions this year. They open a series in Boston on the Memorial Day holiday Monday and it’s nationally televised. The Sox are favored on the MLB odds.
How to Bet Indians at Red Sox MLB Lines & Game Info
The rain couldn’t ruin Oscar’s parade.
They say you never forget your first Major League homer.#RallyTogether pic.twitter.com/WkzHRllCYM — Cleveland Indians (@Indians) May 27, 2019
- When: Monday, 4 PM ET
- Where: Fenway Park
- Probable pitchers (away/home): Jefry Rodriguez/Rick Porcello
- TV: ESPN
- Stream: MLB.tv
- Radio: Cleveland / Boston
- Opening MLB Lines: Red Sox -185, Indians +175 (total 9.5)
Why Bet on Cleveland?
The Tribe are struggling, having lost six of seven. Oscar Mercado went 2-for-4 with his first major league home run in Sunday’s loss to the Rays. It was an upset that his first MLB homer came before his first big league steal after he swiped 210 bases as compared to 33 homers in the minors. Mercado sat out Friday and Saturday after exited Thursday’s game with a bruised right hip following a collision.
Cleveland hitters hold a .402 (39-97) average in 2-1 counts, the 4th-best mark in the majors. The 1.192 OPS is also 4th-best while the Tribe’s 11 home runs in the situation are tied for the most in the majors with Minnesota and Houston. In 3-1 counts, Tribe hitters are batting .410 (16-39), T10th-best mark in the Majors with Milwaukee. The club’s 17 RBI in the situation ranks T4th-most in the majors, while the Indians also rank T5th in home runs (5) and doubles (5) and 9th in OPS (1.685).
Carlos Santana ranks 3rd in the majors in average exit velocity (min. 120 batted ball events) at 93.6 MPH and 6th in percentage of contact deemed hard-hit (95.0+ MPH) at 52.9 percent.
Jefry Rodriguez (1-4) allowed five runs (four earned) on seven hits with three strikeouts and four walks across four innings while taking a loss against the Athletics on Wednesday. The A’s scored early and often against Rodriguez, as he yielded at least a run in each of the four frames he pitched. Rodriguez has definitely had some bad luck in terms of run support this season, but he’s also allowed eight earned runs in his last 10.2 innings. He is 1-4 with a 4.08 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 23 strikeouts in 35.1 frames this season.
Rodriguez will be making his first career start vs. the Red Sox. He holds a 1-4 record with a 5.40 ERA (20ER/33.1IP) in 6 career starts against American League opponents, including a 1-4 mark with a 4.76 ERA (15ER/28.1IP) in 5 starts against AL foes in 2019. Rodriguez is 1-1 with a 3.86 ERA (5ER/11.2IP) in 2 road starts this season and 3-2 with a 3.09 ERA (11ER/32.0IP) in 6 road appearances (4 starts) in his career.
Why Bet on Boston?
The Red Sox lost two of three over the weekend in Houston but avoided the sweep with a 4-1 win Sunday. The Red Sox have been swept in only 1 of their last 69 series of at least 3 games (0-3 at TB, August 2018). During that stretch, which began on 8/28/17, they have swept 19 series of 3+ games.
Rafael Devers went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday’s win. Devers connected for a solo home run off Justin Verlander in the fourth inning, his seventh long ball of the campaign. He has four home runs in his last six games — with five multi-hit showings in that small space. Overall, Devers is hitting .330/.393/.508 with 30 RBI, 37 runs scored and six steals over the course of 197 at-bats.
In his last 32 games (beginning 4/19), Mookie Betts has posted a batting line of .344/.461/.552 (43-for-125, 11 2B, 5 HR). In that time, he has more walks (27) than strikeouts (19) and has scored 29 runs. Among players with 100+ PA since 4/19, Betts leads the majors in OBP (.461) and is tied for the AL lead in doubles (11).
Marcus Walden threw a clean ninth inning to pick up his first save of the season Sunday. Walden had just one previous save attempt (which he blew) under his belt this season, but came on in high style on Sunday with the Red Sox holding a 4-1 ninth inning lead. The right-hander needed just nine pitches (eight of which he threw for strikes) to finish off his lone inning of work. He has a 1.48 ERA, 0.79 WHIP and 34/7 K/BB across 30 1/3 innings for the campaign as a whole.
Rick Porcello (3-4) didn’t factor into the decision in Wednesday’s 6-5 extra-innings win over the Blue Jays, allowing one run on three hits over six innings while striking out four. A Vlad Guerrero Jr. homer in the fourth inning was the only blemish on the right-hander’s ledger, but he missed his chance at his fourth win of the year when Walden blew the save in the ninth. Porcello has a 4.45 ERA and 47:19 K:BB through 56.2 innings.
The Red Sox are 6-1 in Porcello’s last 7 starts. In those 7 games, he is 3-1 with a 2.78 ERA and .196 opponent AVG (45.1 IP, 14 ER, 33 H). Porcello has 37 SO and 7 BB in his last 7 starts, issuing 2 BB or fewer in each of those.
Indians vs Red Sox MLB Betting Trends
- Cleveland are 1-6 SU in their last 7 games
- The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Cleveland’s last 6 games
- Boston are 13-7 SU in their last 20 games
- The total has gone OVER in 5 of Boston’s last 6 games against an opponent in the American League Central division.
Expert Prediction for Indians vs Red Sox
Red Sox 5, Indians 3
