David Buchanan (6-8, 3.75 ERA) and Justin Masterson (7-9, 5.88 ERA) are on the hill in the last of a three-game series between the Philadelphia Phillies (1-1) and the Boston Red Sox (1-1) at Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies won the last game 4-2 and the series is currently tied 1-1. Action begins at 7:05 p.m. ET on Thursday, Apr. 9 and can be seen on NESN and TCN-PHI.
Buchanan will take the hill after recording 117.2 innings last year, closing out the season with a 6-8 record, 3.75 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, and 71 strikeouts. Jeff Francoeur (.400 ) had a good game yesterday, going 2 for 4 with one run, one home run, and three RBIs. Against the Phillies, Masterson is 1-1 with a 5.56 ERA, 1.59 WHIP, and nine strikeouts.
Boston takes on Philadelphia as a -145 favorite. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is sitting at eight runs.
Offensively, they average 8.0 runs per game, which is good for second in the AL. Boston is excellent at drawing walks with an AL-best 7.0 per game. Boston’s pitching staff has set the standard for its league, with an AL-low 0.00 ERA. When it comes to preventing batters from getting hits, the Red Sox are the best in the AL with an average of 3.0 hits allowed per game.
Predictions: SU Winner – BOS, O/U – Over
Notes
When leading after 7 innings, Philadelphia is 1-0, while Boston is 0-1.
The Red Sox are coming into this game after allowing two walks during their last outing. The Phillies have a 1-1 record when opponents give up that many walks or fewer.
The Phillies and the Red Sox are both 1-0 when they notch more hits than their opponent.
Ranking 15th in runs, Philadelphia has earned four this season. Boston ranks seventh with 10 runs.
Boston tops the league in walks with 11 this season. Philadelphia ranks in the top half at 14th with four.
The Phillies are 1-0 when they hit at least one home run. Boston has the same record when hitting one or more homers.
