The Boston Red Sox (40-35) travel to face off against the Cincinnati Reds (35-39) on Friday, June 21st. This game will be played at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati and televised on BSOH. The Red Sox are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Reds are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Pirates. First pitch is set for 6:10 CT.
Red Sox vs Reds
The Red Sox’s offense was hot right out of the gates in their most recent game vs. the Blue Jays, closing out their series with a 7-3 win. After allowing three runs to the Blue Jays in the 4th, the Red Sox responded with two runs of their own. Boston went on to add another two runs in the 6th inning.
Brayan Bello put together a good start for the Red Sox, going six innings and giving up just two earned runs, and picking up the win. Boston’s offense was carried by Jarren Duran, who went 2/5 with a homer and two RBIs.
Boston is on a five-game winning streak, and they are 40-35 overall this season. The Red Sox will be on the road today, taking on the Reds. In the AL East, they are 10 games behind the Yankees and are 3rd in the division.
So far, the Red Sox are 10-9 in AL East games, and they have won three straight series. Their overall series record is 11-9-4. At home, the Red Sox are 18-20 this year, compared to 22-15 on the road.
When the Red Sox are on the road, they have been a solid bet to cover the run line, going 22-15. They have a positive run differential of 1.4 runs per game on the road, which has helped them cover the run line. However, when they are the favorite, they have struggled to cover the run line, going just 12-22. In games they have won, they have an average run differential of 4.4 runs per game, while in losses, they have been outscored by an average of 3.7 runs per game.
The Red Sox are on the road today against the Reds, and the over/under line is set at 9 runs. Boston’s games have averaged 8.7 runs per game this season, and their over/under record is 34-36 overall. When the O/U line is set at 9 runs, the Red Sox have gone 5-1-2. The over/under line has been set at 9 runs in 13.3% of Boston’s games this season.
Kutter Crawford Gets The Start For The Red Sox
Red Sox starter Kutter Crawford will be looking to build off his last outing, where he picked up the win vs. the Yankees. In that outing, he went six innings and gave up three earned runs. Looking at his overall numbers, Crawford has made 15 starts and has a record of 3-6. His ERA for the season is 3.54, along with a WHIP of 1.15. Opposing batters are hitting .223 off the right-hander this year. Crawford has turned in seven quality starts and has a BB/9 figure of 2.71 compared to 9.17 strikeouts per nine innings.
Red Sox Offense Breakdown
Heading into today’s game, the Red Sox are averaging 4.7 runs per game, which is 9th in the league. They have been even better on the road, averaging 5 runs per contest. Boston comes into the game with a team batting average of .254, which is 4th in the league, and are also near the top of the league in on-base percentage and slugging.
Ceddanne Rafaela and Tyler O’Neill have been swinging the bat well for the Red Sox, with Rafaela going 11/15 in his last four games and O’Neill hitting .353 with three homers in this stretch. Rafaela is currently leading the team in RBIs (41) and has gone deep eight times this season, which is 3rd on the team. O’Neill’s 15 homers is the best mark on the team, and he is 4th in RBIs.
The Reds will be looking to get back on track after closing out their series vs. the Pirates with a 1-0 loss. This was especially tough, as they held a lead going into the 8th inning before the Pirates scored the game’s only run in the bottom of the 8th. Cincinnati was the +110 underdog on the road going into the game.
Hunter Greene was excellent for the Reds, going 6 1/3 innings, and not giving up a run. He also issued just two walks and struck out nine Pirates batters. However, the Reds couldn’t close things out, and Nick Martinez took the loss out of the bullpen. The Reds also wasted a big game from Jonathan India, who went 2/4 with a double.
Cincinnati opens their series vs. the Red Sox 35-39 overall, putting them 5th in the NL Central. They trail the Brewers by 8.5 games in the division and are 9-10 in the division. The Reds lost their most recent series, dropping two of three games to the Pirates.
At home, the Reds are 18-19 this season compared to a 17-20 mark on the road. So far, Cincinnati has struggled as the underdog, going 16-26, which includes losing four straight as the underdog. As the favorite, the Reds are 19-13 this year, and their overall series record is 8-14-2. Heading into today’s game, they are 4-6 over their last ten.
The Reds have a run differential of +0.1 runs per game this season, and they have a run line record of 39-35. They have been a better bet on the run line on the road, where they are 24-13 compared to 15-22 at home. They have a run differential of +0.5 runs per game on the road and -0.3 runs per game at home. Cincinnati is 15-17 vs. the run line as the favorite and 24-18 as the underdog. In their wins, they are outscoring opponents by an average of 3.5 runs per game, while in losses, they are being outscored by an average of -2.9 runs per game.
The Reds have played to the under in five straight games, and they have an over/under record of 31-40 this season. Their games have averaged 8.2 runs per game, and their average over/under line for the season is 9 runs. When the line has been set at 9 runs, they have gone 1-12-2 in those games. Overall, 50% of their games have had a line set at 9 runs or lower.
Andrew Abbott Gets The Start For The Reds
Cincinnati is sending left-hander Andrew Abbott to the mound today vs. the Red Sox. He has made 14 starts this year and has a record of 5-6 with an ERA of 3.42. Abbott’s WHIP for the season is currently 1.20. Looking back at his last outing, Abbott took the loss vs. the Brewers, giving up three earned runs in five innings of work. Before that, he had won two straight starts. One area of concern for Abbott is home runs, as he has allowed 13 this season. The left-hander has a BB/9 figure of 2.85 compared to 6.84 strikeouts per nine innings.
Reds Offense Breakdown
So far this season, the Reds offense is averaging 4.2 runs per game, which is 19th in the league. They have been a little better on the road, averaging 4.4 runs per game, compared to just 4.0 runs per game at home. As a team, they are batting just .225, and their team on-base percentage of .305 is also below average.
Elly De La Cruz and Jeimer Candelario come into the game tied for the team lead in home runs, with 12 apiece. Candelario has been hot of late, going 12/37 in his last 10 games with four homers. Spencer Steer is also among the league leaders in RBIs, as his 43 RBIs is 15th in the MLB.
Red Sox vs Reds Prediction
Our pick for today’s Red Sox vs. Reds matchup is to take the Reds on the money line at -113. We have the Reds winning this one by a score of 6-5. Looking at the starting pitchers, we have Andrew Abbott finishing with six strikeouts, which has him ninth among all starters.
As for Kutter Crawford, we have him finishing with five strikeouts, which has him 18th among all starters. However, we have him finishing with a higher strikeout total than Abbott, but we still like the Reds to pick up the win.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.
Last updated:June 24, 2024 Red Sox, Reds