The Boston Red Sox will be home to play the Cleveland Guardians on Thursday night. The Guardians beat the Red Sox 7-6 on Wednesday to move to 50-47. Boston is now 49-50 after losing Wednesday's game. After their recent poor play, the Red Sox find themselves 4.5 games out of the final Wild Card spot, held by the Tampa Bay Rays.
"Ayo, we'll take it. #ForTheLand" - Guardians
Boston will start Kutter Crawford for Thursday's game. He is 0-2 with a 3.81 ERA (as a starter) over five starts thus far. He'll be up against a team that's averaging 5.4 runs per contest in their last seven. In Crawford's last outing, he threw six innings, giving up five hits and three earned runs, recording a quality start.
Recently the right-hander has been consistent, but he had trouble with Cleveland's lineup back in September of last year. He's definitely improved since then, so look for him to try and notch his third consecutive quality start on Thursday.
"Kutter Crawford, Nasty 90mph Cutter." - Rob Friedman
Triston McKenzie, who is 7-5 with a 3.03 ERA, will be on the hill Thursday for Cleveland. He'll be pitching against a pretty good Red Sox lineup, but one that has struggled since the All-Star break.
In his previous start, McKenzie threw 5 2/3 innings, surrendering four hits and one earned run while punching out four. Lately, the right-hander has been incredible, holding a 0.34 ERA in his previous four starts, spanning 26 2/3 innings. The Cleveland right-hander has been on his 'A' game and will look to take advantage of some slumping bats in the series finale.
Boston Red Sox vs. Cleveland Guardians Match Details
Fixture: Cleveland Guardians @ Boston Red Sox
Date & Time: Thursday, July 28, 7:10 p.m. EDT
Venue: Fenway Park, Boston, Massachusetts
Boston Red Sox vs. Cleveland Guardians Betting Odds
Boston Red Sox vs. Cleveland Guardians Best Picks
Triston McKenzie has been untouchable lately. He may regress at some point, but he has a favorable matchup tonight. The Red Sox are without Rafael Devers and Trevor Story, weakening their lineup. Boston is averaging only 3.4 runs per game in their last seven, so look for their hitters to struggle at the dish again.
Pick: Triston McKenzie Under 2.5 Earned Runs Allowed (+105)
Boston Red Sox vs. Cleveland Guardians Betting Prediction
The Red Sox have lost seven of their last eight games on grass, and they'll be facing one of the hottest pitchers in the MLB. Look for the visitors to lead after five behind McKenzie.
Prediction: Guardians First 5 Innings -0.5 (+110)