Wednesday, May 11, 2016

Fenway Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Eric Surkamp vs. Rick Porcello

The Oakland Athletics visit Fenway Park on Wednesday to play the Boston Red Sox. The probable starters are Eric Surkamp for the Athletics and Rick Porcello for the Red Sox. The opening line for this matchup has Oakland at +121 and Boston at -130. The over/under was set at 7.5. The Athletics have a 15-16-2 over/under record and a 16-17-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 49% of the time. The Red Sox are 19-13-0 against the run line and have a 16-15-1 over/under record. They cover the spread 59% of the time.

The Athletics head into this matchup with a 14-19 record, including 9-8 on the road. Starting pitcher Eric Surkamp has a 0-2 record with an earned run average of 5.59 and a WHIP of 1.91. He has 9 strikeouts over his 19.1 innings pitched and he has given up 25 hits so far this season. He has allowed 11.6 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 6.33. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 3.61 and they have given up 106 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .243 against the bullpen while being struck out 110 times and walking 28 times this season. As a team, Oakland has allowed 9.06 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.08 batters per nine. They are 24th in the league in team earned run average at 4.47. The Athletics pitchers have collectively given up 294 base hits and 145 earned runs. They have allowed 40 home runs this season and they allow 1.2 homers per nine innings as a staff. Oakland as a pitching staff has walked 110 batters and struck out 262. They walk 3.4 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.1 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.38 and their FIP as a unit is 4.32.

As a team, Oakland is batting .243, good for 19th in the league while putting together a .263 average away from home. The Athletics hold a .380 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .295 which is good for 26th in baseball. They rank 14th in baseball with 8.27 hits per game. Jed Lowrie comes into this game hitting .302 and his on-base percentage is at .341. He has 35 hits this season along with 10 runs scored and 17 runs batted in. He's struck out 19 times and has walked 8 times. Josh Reddick is hitting .317 and he has an on-base percentage of .376. He has totaled 38 hits so far while scoring 14 runs and he's driven in 17. He has walked 12 times and has struck out 19 times. The Athletics have 273 hits, including 45 doubles and 33 home runs. They've stolen 17 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 7 times. Oakland has walked 81 times this season and they've struck out 227 times as a unit. They've left 212 men on base and have a team OPS of .675. They score 3.76 runs per contest and have scored a total of 124 runs so far this year.

Boston comes into this matchup with a 9-7 home record and a 19-13 overall mark. With an earned run average of 2.95, Rick Porcello has a 5-1 record and a 0.96 WHIP. He has 41 strikeouts over the 39.2 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 30 hits. He has allowed 6.8 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.72. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.58 and they have given up 85 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .223 against the Red Sox bullpen while being struck out 112 times and walking 47 times this season. As a team, Boston has allowed 7.93 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.16 batters per nine. They are 19th in the league in team earned run average at 4.22. The Red Sox pitchers as a team have surrendered 252 base knocks and 134 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 30 home runs this year and they give up 0.9 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Boston as a staff has walked 123 hitters and struck out 291. They give up a walk 3.9 times per 9 innings while they strike out 9.2 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.31 while their FIP as a staff is 3.86.

As a team, they are batting .284, good for 1st in the league while putting together a .287 average at home. The Red Sox hold a .463 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .345 which is good for 3rd in baseball. They rank 1st in baseball with 10 hits per contest. Xander Bogaerts comes into this matchup batting .315 and he has an OBP of .376. He has 40 hits this year along with 23 runs scored and 14 RBI. He's struck out 23 times and has walked on 12 occasions. Dustin Pedroia is hitting .304 and he has an OBP of .342. He has collected 42 hits so far while he's scored 22 runs and drove in 17. He has earned a walk 8 times and has punched out 23 times. The Red Sox as a unit have 320 base hits, including 79 doubles and 34 homers. They have 25 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 2 times. Boston as a team has walked 100 times this year and they have struck out 252 times. They've had 224 men left on base and have an OPS of .807. They score 5.31 runs per game and have totaled 170 runs so far this season.

Oakland Athletics Betting Trends

The Oakland Athletics are 15-16-2 against the over/under so far this season

The Oakland Athletics are 16-17-0 against the run line so far this season

Boston Red Sox Betting Trends

The Boston Red Sox are 16-15-1 against the over/under so far this season

The Boston Red Sox are 19-13-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Oakland Athletics

04/29/16 P Chris Bassitt Elbow 15-day DL (4/28); out for season
04/10/16 P Henderson Alvarez Shoulder 15-day DL (4/6)
04/05/16 P Felix Doubront Elbow 60-day DL (4/4); out for season
04/03/16 2B Eric Sogard Shoulder 15-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)
03/31/16 P R.J. Alvarez Elbow 60-day DL (3/25)

Boston Red Sox

05/03/16 3B Pablo Sandoval Shoulder 60-day DL (4/11); out for season
04/19/16 P Joe Kelly Shoulder 15-day DL (4/19)
04/04/16 P Brandon Workman Elbow 60-day DL (3/25)
04/04/16 P Eduardo Rodrigue Knee 15-day DL (4/2)

Josh's Pick: Take the Red Sox

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