The Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Indians will renew acquaintances in the second game of their final head-to-head series of 2018. The Red Sox own the second-best road record in MLB and will have righty Rick Porcello on the mound, who owns a 3.78 ERA in 17 road starts this season with Boston winning seven of his last nine outings away from Fenway Park.
- The Red Sox are 7-2 SU in their last nine road games with Rick Porcello as the starter.
- Cleveland is 11-5 SU in last 16 games at home when facing Boston.
- The OVER has hit in four of the last six games in this matchup.
Red Sox vs Indians Game Center
Breaking Down the Pitching Matchup
Former Cy Young Sportsbook Rick Porcello will get the nod to face the Indians and the Sox have won all three of his starts in September despite his ERA hovering at 4.60 over 15.2 innings of work. In Porcello’s last road start in Atlanta, he shut the Braves down by only allowing two hits and one run over five innings for the 5-1 victory. With that win, the Red Sox are now 7-2 SU in their last nine road games with Porcello on the hill. When the 29-year-old stared down the Indians batting order on August 20th, he went seven innings but gave up six hits and five earned runs in the 5-4 loss. In his career vs Cleveland, Porcello has a record of 10-5 in 23 starts with a 3.51 ERA.
As for the Tribe, they’ve got Mike “Samson” Clevinger toeing the rubber and the man with the long locks is coming off an impressive outing vs the Tigers when he only allowed one hit and no runs over six innings in the 15-0 triumph. Clevinger has been on a bit of a roll lately with a 1.85 ERA while holding opposing hitters to a .189 batting average over his last eight outings. Considering he owns a 3.12 ERA in 16 home starts in 2018 and the Indians have won five straight at Progressive Field when he starts, the Indians seem to have the edge in the pitching department tonight.
Indians have Held Their Own At Home vs Sox
Despite taking the 7-5 loss last night, Cleveland has not been a pushover at home when the MLB-leading Red Sox come to town. In their last 16 games when hosting Boston, the Indians are 10-6 SU in their last 16 games. Since the All-Star break, the Indians own the third best ERA in the majors at 3.45 while ranking in the top 10 in almost every major offensive category except for doubles. This is only the second game of hosting Boston in 2018 so Cleveland is primed for a bounce-back tonight.
What Should Totals Bettors Do?
The total opened at 8.5 and bettors trying to decide which way to go should consider the OVER. The OVER has hit in four of Boston’s last five games on the road with an average combined score of 12.4 runs per game. Totals bettors should also note that the OVER has hit in four of the last five games in this matchup.
My Pick is....
To take the OVER. Both of these teams have locked in their postseason slots and both have offenses that could explode at any time. Porcello also has an odd trend going where every second game he pitches over his last 11 starts (since July 23), the total in the game has gone OVER. It’s not a trend to bank on but the fact that Porcello has 12 starts this season where he has allowed four earned runs or more makes me think another OVER is coming in Cleveland.
