Underdog Indians Look to Get One Back Against Red Sox
Who: Cleveland Indians v. Boston Red Sox
When: Tuesday August 1st, 2017 7:10PM EST
Where: Fenway Park—Boston, Massachusetts
The Red Sox and Indians are two of the better AL teams whose playoff destinies have not yet been determined. Though Boston looks to be a shoe-in for either the AL East divisional title or, if nothing else, a Wildcard berth, nothing is guaranteed at this point. The Indians are atop of the AL Central for the time being, but only by 2 games. After having lost the series opener, the Indians will look to get back on track on Tuesday night.
For the Red Sox, the first few weeks following the All-Star Break have not exactly been the best. They’ve now lost 3 consecutive series to the Angels, Mariners, and Royals, and are looking to avoid allowing the same to happen against the Indians. For the Sox, it has been a complete and total lack of offensive firepower that has mightily contributed to their recent woes. Apart from a 9-8 victory over the Royals, the Red Sox offense has not been able to muster much. In fact, the Red Sox offense has only been able to score more than 5 runs on 3 occasions across the last 10 games. Coincidentally, they have gone 4-6 in their last 10 games. To make a long story short, the last few months of the season are going to be extremely rough if they cannot get the offense going.
For the Indians, the weeks following the All-Star Break really could not have gone any better. Cleveland has now won 9 of their last 11 games, a run that included sweeps of both the Angels and the Blue Jays. Though they have now lost 2 consecutive, their offense has been clicking more often than it has not. With two extremely talented pitchers taking the mound on Tuesday, it is going to come down to the offenses more than likely.
Game Overview and Analysis
When the Indians (+143) take the field on Tuesday night, they will do so as moderately heavy underdogs. On one hand, this is a surprise considering the team has won 9 of their last 11, but on the other hand it should not come as too much of a shock seeing as they have lost 2 in a row.
Taking the mound for the Indians will be arguably their best pitcher, Carlos Carrasco (10-4 3.58 ERA). Carrasco was having a great year, but beginning a few weeks ago that great form took a bit of a hit. In his last 3 starts, Carrasco has failed to win each and every time out. 2 of those aforementioned 3 games were no-decisions (one ended up being a loss for Cleveland), while the 3rd was an earned loss that saw Carrasco give up 5 earned in just over 6 innings pitched. Having missed the playoffs last year due to injury, Carrasco will need to improve in order to remain a fixture in the starting rotation come playoff time.
For the Red Sox (-166), it will be Chris Sale (13-4 2.37 ERA) who takes the mound. Unlike his counterpart, there have been very few weak spots in Sale’s game as of late. His last 2 outings were earned victories, during which he was able to last a combined 13 innings without giving up a single run. Over the course of Sale’s last 10 starts, he has amassed a 7-2 record with one no-decision. Put simply, there are few pitchers out there who are playing at a higher level than Sale.
If his offense can kick in a few runs on Tuesday night, I truly do not see how the Sox will have much trouble emerging victorious. With that said, there is no saying what Boston offense we will see on any given night.
Betting Prediction
Despite the fact that Chris Sale is on the mound and that the Indians have lost two straight, I see a lot of value in picking their moneyline (+143). The +143 odds offered by Bovada present you with a lot of potential value, but beyond that, the Red Sox bats have been as cold as ever in recent weeks. Being the competent pitcher that he is, Carlos Carrasco should be able to take care of the Red Sox batters. With all of this being said, approach this bet with caution as Chris Sale is also playing, and he is capable of shutting any offense down.
The over/under for this one is listed by Bovada at an even 7 runs (-110/-110). Though these two offenses are by no means considered to be high-powered, they are fully capable of going off on any given night. Even if one of these two sides records a decent run tally, I do not think this game will have many issues going over 7 runs.
Finally, Bovada’s point spread sees the Indians listed as +1.5 run underdogs (-155). Though the -155 odds are not the best, I think the Indians can cover in this one. If you do not love the Indians moneyline bet that is mentioned above, perhaps this wager will suit you better.