Saturday, September 3, 2016

O.co Coliseum

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Rick Porcello vs. Zach Neal

The Boston Red Sox visit O.co Coliseum on Saturday to play the Oakland Athletics. The probable starters are Rick Porcello for the Red Sox and Zach Neal for the Athletics. The opening line for this matchup has Boston at -112 and Oakland at +102. The over/under was set at 8. The Red Sox have a 66-61-6 over/under record and a 66-67-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 50% of the time. The Athletics are 72-61-0 against the run line and have a 58-70-5 over/under record. They cover the spread 54% of the time.

The Red Sox head into this matchup with a 74-59 record, including 33-29 on the road. Starting pitcher Rick Porcello has a 18-3 record with an earned run average of 3.26 and a WHIP of 1.04. He has 152 strikeouts over his 179.2 innings pitched and he has given up 159 hits so far this season. He has allowed 8 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.55. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 3.94 and they have given up 351 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .238 against the bullpen while being struck out 410 times and walking 157 times this season. As a team, Boston has allowed 8.62 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.41 batters per nine. They are 17th in the league in team earned run average at 4.21. The Red Sox pitchers have collectively given up 1,133 base hits and 553 earned runs. They have allowed 150 home runs this season and they allow 1.1 homers per nine innings as a staff. Boston as a pitching staff has walked 411 batters and struck out 1,105. They walk 3.1 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.4 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.31 and their FIP as a unit is 4.11.

As a team, Boston is batting .285, good for 1st in the league while putting together a .264 average away from home. The Red Sox hold a .467 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .350 which is good for 1st in baseball. They rank 1st in baseball with 10.01 hits per game. Mookie Betts comes into this game hitting .320 and his on-base percentage is at .361. He has 179 hits this season along with 103 runs scored and 96 runs batted in. He's struck out 73 times and has walked 37 times. Xander Bogaerts is hitting .306 and he has an on-base percentage of .361. He has totaled 165 hits so far while scoring 93 runs and he's driven in 77. He has walked 44 times and has struck out 97 times. The Red Sox have 1,331 hits, including 294 doubles and 170 home runs. They've stolen 71 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 19 times. Boston has walked 449 times this season and they've struck out 953 times as a unit. They've left 957 men on base and have a team OPS of .817. They score 5.44 runs per contest and have scored a total of 724 runs so far this year.

Oakland comes into this matchup with a 30-36 home record and a 57-76 overall mark. With an earned run average of 4.96, Zach Neal has a 2-3 record and a 1.21 WHIP. He has 17 strikeouts over the 45.1 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 53 hits. He has allowed 10.5 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.89. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.85 and they have given up 412 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .239 against the Athletics bullpen while being struck out 429 times and walking 155 times this season. As a team, Oakland has allowed 9.18 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.5 batters per nine. They are 23rd in the league in team earned run average at 4.50. The Athletics pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,199 base knocks and 588 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 157 home runs this year and they give up 1.2 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Oakland as a staff has walked 393 hitters and struck out 980. They give up a walk 3 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7.5 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.35 while their FIP as a staff is 4.32.

As a team, they are batting .247, good for 24th in the league while putting together a .242 average at home. The Athletics hold a .396 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .302 which is good for 28th in baseball. They rank 25th in baseball with 8.41 hits per contest. Khris Davis comes into this matchup batting .256 and he has an OBP of .301. He has 119 hits this year along with 70 runs scored and 85 RBI. He's struck out 136 times and has walked on 24 occasions. Danny Valencia is hitting .295 and he has an OBP of .346. He has collected 114 hits so far while he's scored 56 runs and drove in 45. He has earned a walk 28 times and has punched out 93 times. The Athletics as a unit have 1,118 base hits, including 213 doubles and 141 homers. They have 44 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 20 times. Oakland as a team has walked 336 times this year and they have struck out 932 times. They've had 848 men left on base and have an OPS of .698. They score 3.94 runs per game and have totaled 524 runs so far this season.

Boston Red Sox Betting Trends

The Boston Red Sox are 66-61-6 against the over/under so far this season

The Boston Red Sox are 66-67-0 against the run line so far this season

Oakland Athletics Betting Trends

The Oakland Athletics are 58-70-5 against the over/under so far this season

The Oakland Athletics are 72-61-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Boston Red Sox

08/25/16 LF Andrew Benintendi Knee 15-day DL (8/25)
08/06/16 C Ryan Hanigan Ankle 15-day DL (8/5)
07/20/16 P Koji Uehara Pectoral 15-day DL (7/20)
06/17/16 2B Josh Rutledge Knee 60-day DL (6/15)
06/07/16 P Carson Smith Elbow 60-day DL (5/15)
06/06/16 C Blake Swihart Ankle 60-day DL (6/5)
05/03/16 3B Pablo Sandoval Shoulder 60-day DL (4/11); out for season
04/04/16 P Brandon Workman Elbow 60-day DL (3/25)

Oakland Athletics

09/01/16 P Sean Manaea Back expected to miss next scheduled start Sunday
08/21/16 P Jesse Hahn Shoulder "?" for next scheduled start
08/17/16 CF Tyler Ladendorf Wrist 15-day DL (8/17)
08/16/16 2B Jed Lowrie Foot 60-day DL (8/4); out for season
08/07/16 P Sonny Gray Arm 15-day DL (8/7)
08/07/16 P Henderson Alvarez Shoulder 60-day DL (4/6), out for season
07/23/16 P Fernando Rodriguez Shoulder 60-day DL (7/4)
07/03/16 C Josh Phegley Knee 60-day DL (7/2)
07/01/16 P Sean Doolittle Shoulder 15-day DL (6/26)
05/11/16 P Chris Bassitt Elbow 60-day DL (4/28); out for season
05/11/16 LF Mark Canha Back 60-day DL (5/9), out for season
04/05/16 P Frankie Montas Ribs 60-day DL (2/20)
04/05/16 P Felix Doubront Elbow 60-day DL (4/4); out for season
04/03/16 2B Eric Sogard Knee 60-day DL (3/25)
04/01/16 CF Sam Fuld Shoulder 60-day DL (3/25)
03/31/16 P Jarrod Parker Elbow 60-day DL (3/13), out for season
03/31/16 P R.J. Alvarez Elbow 60-day DL (3/25)

Josh's Pick: Take the Red Sox

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