Eduardo Rodriguez (2-0, 0.44 ERA) and Marco Estrada (3-3, 3.78 ERA) start in the last of a three-game series between the Boston Red Sox (27-36) and the Toronto Blue Jays (33-30) at Fenway Park. The Red Sox lost the last game 5-4, continuing a five-game losing streak. Action begins at 1:35 p.m. ET on Sunday, Jun. 14 and can be seen on RSN and NESN.
Rodriguez pitched 6.0 innings in his most recent start, surrendering zero runs, striking out seven and walking three in a 1-0 defeat to the Orioles. Hanley Ramirez (.275, 35 Rs, 13 HRs, 32 RBIs, 3 SBs) had another good game yesterday, going 2 for 5 with one run. When pitching against the Red Sox, Estrada is 1-1 with a 2.84 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, and 10 strikeouts. Chris Colabello (.341, 21 Rs, 4 HRs, 21 RBIs, 2 SBs) has been successful at the plate, going 2 for 4 yesterday with one run.
Boston is a -131 favorite against Toronto and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at nine runs. The Red Sox have an overall money line of -1,445 and a record as the favorite of 18-23. Boston has had a discouraging season against division opponents, earning records of 6-11 and 10-19 as the favorite and SU respectively. Boston’s batters do not strike out very often, with only 6.4 per game. Boston’s pitchers fall apart when division rivals are on the field. Its average runs allowed per game rises to 5.5 against fellow AL East members, compared to its 4.7 season average.
Over in the other dugout, in contrast to an encouraging overall money line (+19), Toronto has an unimpressive 12-18 record when playing as the underdog. They played solid baseball as the underdog over their last 10 games with a 3-1 record, and a 9-1 record SU. Offensively, they average 5.5 runs per game, which is tops in the AL. The Blue Jays are tough outs for opponents, ranking third in the AL with 9.0 hits per game. Toronto is excellent at drawing walks with 3.2 per game, ranking third in the AL. The Blue Jays allow 4.5 runs per game, but have improved upon those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 3.3 runs per game during that span.
The Blue Jays lead the season series, 5-3. The Red Sox have a 19-25 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Estrada takes the mound. Rodriguez (LHP) will be on the hill against the Blue Jays, who have a very good 9-4 record against left-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – TOR, O/U – Over
Notes
The Blue Jays won their last game by a one-run margin. In games decided by one run, the Red Sox are 9-10. The Blue Jays are 6-12 in close games this season.
When the Blue Jays play into extra innings, they have a 2-1 record. The Red Sox are 2-2 when their games exceed nine innings.
The Blue Jays are coming into this game after allowing one walk during their last outing. The Red Sox have a 4-10 record when opponents give up that many walks or fewer.
When they are outhit, the Red Sox are 4-30. The Blue Jays have a 4-22 record when opponents outhit them.
Boston ranks in the top half of the league at 12th when it comes to home runs, hitting 59 this season. Toronto ranks in the top five at third with 77.
Ranking ninth, Boston is in the top 10 of the league in hits, notching 8.39 per game. Toronto ranks in the top five at third with 8.98.
Ranking first in on-base plus slugging percentage, Toronto has an OPS of .779 this season. Boston ranks 21st with an OPS of .692.
When the Blue Jays allow at least one home run, they are 21-23. When the Red Sox allow one or more homers, they have an 11-29 record.
