Cincinnati Reds vs Boston Red Sox Prediction, 5/31/2023 MLB Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Cincinnati Reds vs Boston Red Sox

Date: Wednesday, May 31, 2023

Location: Fenway Park in Boston, MA

TV: NESN

Odds/Point Spread: Cincinnati (+190) Boston (-225)

The Boston Red Sox (28-25) will try to defeat the Cincinnati Reds (24-29) at Fenway Park on Wednesday. The odds on this game have Cincinnati at +190 and Boston is sitting at -225. The over/under is 9.5. The expected starting pitchers are Luke Weaver and James Paxton.

As a team, the Cincinnati Reds are putting up 4.6 runs per outing, which ranks them 15th in baseball. They have accumulated 242 runs scored and hold an OBP of .333. The Reds have recorded 100 doubles as a squad and have hit 41 baseballs out of the park. They have 234 RBI's as well as 457 hits so far this year, and their average at the plate is sitting at .256. Cincinnati has a slugging percentage of .391 and have struck out 482 times, while being walked on 186 occasions.

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The Reds have a team ERA of 4.90 over the course of the season (27th in baseball), and the staff has struck out 481 batters. Reds pitchers have conceded 65 home runs and also 266 runs (26th in baseball). They have walked 194 opposing batters and their FIP sits at 4.44 as a team for the year. Cincinnati has yielded 485 base hits (9.4 per 9 innings) in addition to 254 earned runs. They have accumulated a K/BB ratio of 2.48 and the pitching staff has recorded a WHIP of 1.46.

The Reds have sent 186 relievers to the hill on the campaign. The bullpen pitchers have inherited 105 runners for the season with 31.4% of them ended up crossing the plate. They have recorded 15 saves on the campaign and have blown 8 out of their 23 save opportunities. The Reds relievers have accumulated a save percentage of 65.2% and has entered the game in 49 save situations. The relief pitchers have a total of 24 holds so far this year (26th in baseball). Reds pitchers have come into the game with runners on base 73 times and also have had 68 appearances in high leverage situations.

The Reds have converted 66.4% of baseballs in play into outs out of 4,197 innings on the field, which has them ranked 29th in the majors. The Cincinnati Reds have notched a total of 1,399 putouts on the campaign, in addition to 419 assists and 22 errors. Their fielding rate is holding steady at .988 which puts them in 8th in the majors, and they have twisted 41 double plays.

Weaver has taken the ball for 488 innings and is sitting with 499 strikeouts during his MLB career. Weaver (25-38 career record) is the owner of a FIP of 4.06 and he has faced 2,137 batters during his time in the majors. His earned run average is 4.84 (263 earned runs allowed) and his career WHIP is 1.398. He has given up 526 base hits (9.7 hits per 9 innings) and has 157 free passes.

Boston has compiled 61 home runs for the year as well as 263 RBIs. They have 115 two-baggers, while getting a free base 172 times and scoring 273 runs. The Boston Red Sox hold a team on-base percentage of .332 in addition to a team batting average of .262 for the season. The Red Sox hold a team slugging percentage of .430 and they have an average of 5.15 runs per contest (4th in the league). They have struck out on 423 instances (26th in the league) and are sitting with 475 hits.

The Red Sox hold a team WHIP of 1.310 and are the owners of a FIP of 4.66 as a squad on the year. Their K/BB ratio sits at 8.50 (441 strikeouts against 156 bases on balls). They are currently ranked 18th in MLB as a pitching staff in total hits given up with 453. They have given up 75 dingers and they concede 5.07 runs per 9 innings (24th in the league). The Boston pitching staff have allowed 262 runs for the season while having a team ERA of 4.68 (242 earned runs yielded).

Boston has called on bullpen pitchers to take the mound in 19 save chances and they have converted 14 saves. They sit at 4th in the league holding a save rate of 73.7%, and they have dispatched 160 bullpen pitchers to the hill so far this year. Their bullpen pitchers have come in 36 times in high leverage situations and also on 22 occasions with base runners. Boston relievers have an inherited score rate of 47.1% out of their 34 inherited base runners. Sitting with 46 save situations, the Red Sox have 27 holds in addition to 5 blown saves.

Out of their 4,185 innings on the diamond, the Red Sox are sitting with a defensive efficiency of 69.3% (15th in MLB). The Boston Red Sox have turned 37 double plays and have a fielding percentage of .983 (23rd in the majors). The Red Sox have accrued 455 assists, 32 errors and have accumulated 1,395 putouts during this campaign.

So far in his MLB career, Paxton has conceded 697 base hits and he has 850 K's in 768 innings. Paxton (58-34 mark in his career) has a 3.62 ERA and has conceded 8.2 hits per 9 innings. He has given up a total of 309 earned runs while holding a WHIP of 1.215 and having a FIP of 3.4. His strikeout to walk ratio is 3.59 and he has gone up against 3,190 opposing batters during his pro baseball career.

Who will win tonight's MLB game against the spread or moneyline?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Boston (-225)

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