Boston (1-0) at Cleveland (0-1)
When: Wednesday, April 6th 2016
Where: Progressive Field, Cleveland, OH
Time: 6:10 ET | TV: NESN, SportsTime Ohio
Open an Account at Bovada Sportsbook Now! Sign up at Bovada.lv to get up to a $250 Deposit Bonus and to bet all the Web’s best MLB Baseball odds and props!
The Boston Red Sox look to make it two straight out of the gate when they take on the Cleveland Indians in the second game of their three-game series. The first game was postponed due to the weather and cold conditions, but the sun was out yesterday. Boston got a strong six innings out of free-agent David Price and the bullpen pitched three scoreless innings to close things out. David Ortiz and Mookie Betts each homered yesterday and Indians ace Cory Kluber was roughed up. Kluber couldn’t get out of the sixth inning and gave up nine hits and four earned runs. Francisco Lindor was the only bright spot on offense for Cleveland collecting two hits and a run. Former Red Sox Mike Napoli went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts. Five Boston hitters collected two hits including Ortiz and Betts.
Probable Pitchers: Red Sox – Clay Buchholz (2015: 7-7, 3.26 ERA) | Indians – Carlos Carrasco (2015: 14-12, 3.63)
Clay Buchholz, who missed the entire second half of the season last year with an elbow injury, will be on the mound tonight. Buchholz started 18 games last season and went 7-7 with 107 strikeouts in 113.1 innings of work. He has never made 30 starts in a season and failed to make more than 18 in three of the last five campaigns. Buchholz missed both series against Cleveland while sitting out last season and is 2-1 with a 4.13 ERA in five career starts against the Tribe.
Strikeout pitchers Carlos Carrasco goes for Cleveland in the second game. Carrasco went through his first full major league season as a starter last year and came through with 216 strikeouts in 183.2 total innings. He finished behind only Clayton Kershaw, Chris Sale and Max Scherzer in strikeout rate last season. Carrasco did not see Boston last season and is 1-1 with a 3.77 ERA in four career games – two starts – against the Red Sox.
The Red Sox offense is hot out of the gates in the cold weather of Cleveland and I believe they can continue that against Carrasco tonight. Buchholz is a pretty good pitcher when he’s healthy. The Indians seem to start off slow every year and this year might not be different.
Pick: Red Sox +125
