Free Pick: Red Sox vs. Indians August 13
Boston is just 5-14 in the last 19 games against a hot Indians team on the road. Cleveland is nearly 75% in this situation.
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Tonight you can get the Indians at -110. That line has been drifing up somewhat.
The Indians have been red hot of late. Their bullpen is the best in Major League Baseball at the moment.
PITCHING MATCHUP: Red Sox LH Chris Sale (6-11, 4.41 ERA) vs. Indians RH Mike Clevinger (7-2, 3.02)
Sale comes in off one of his best starts of the season Thursday against the Los Angeles Angels, allowing two hits over eight scoreless innings with 13 strikeouts. The 30-year-old, who needs five strikeouts to reach 2,000 in his career, had given up 14 runs across nine innings over his previous two outings. Francisco Lindor is 10-for-24 with a homer versus Sale, who is 5-8 with a 4.80 ERA in 30 career appearances (19 starts) against the Indians.
Clevinger won his fifth straight start and sixth consecutive decision Thursday after limiting Minnesota to two runs on three hits and a walk with nine strikeouts over seven innings. The 28-year-old has permitted two or fewer runs in six of his last seven outings and boasts 89 strikeouts across 62 2/3 innings overall this year. Martinez is 4-for-6 with two doubles against Clevinger, who is 0-1 with an 8.03 ERA in three career starts versus Boston.
The total has moved from 9 to 8, keeping in mind that six of the last seven meetings have resulted in OVER 8.5 runs. Neither starter has pitched particularly well against the opposing team. And Boston has allowed teams to score 5 or more runs in eight of their last ten overall. Cleveland has scored that many or more runs in seven of their last ten.
The Red Sox are just 3-12 in their last 15 overall and and 1-7 in their last 8 games vs. a right-handed starter.
The Indians are 10-2 in Clevinger’s last 12 home starts and they are 14-3 in their last 17 home games vs. a left-handed starter.
It's just too hard to pass up the Indians in this situation, especially at -105. We will be on Cleveland here.
- Dan Shapiro, Gambling911.com
